


A Curious Mix

by sunshineflying



Series: Reyux Great British Bake-Off AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Anxious Ben, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Badass Phasma, Ben is a dual citizen, British, F/M, I'm clearly obsessed with British culture please just go with it, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey loves her American expats, Rey wants to be somebody, Slow Burn, The Great British Bake-Off AU, The food doesn't burn though just the relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-07-13 03:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: Aspiring baker Rey works in a small shop in Wolverhampton with big dreams of becoming somebody. With the support of her flatmate Rose and their friends across the hall Finn and Poe, Rey enters into the journey of a lifetime as one of twelve bakers on the new series of The Great British Bake-Off.On her journey, she meets other amateur bakers like herself, including one man who catches her attention right away. Hux is stoic, keeping most of his story under lock and key. But over the course of their weeks in the tent, they're able to find common ground and open up to each other.But as Rey insists, she's on Bake-Off, not Love Island. She didn't go to the tent to fall in love, she went to the tent with a determination and drive to win -- and nothing will get in her way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to one of the most self-indulgent things I have ever written. I'm obsessed with British culture and baking, and I'm also obsessed with this show. I've seen every season (yes, even with the new judges, and even the stuff not readily available in America) and I'm also an amateur baker. Not that one would need to be any of that to write a fic like this. It also will feature my new favorite ship: Rey/Hux. I do hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Many thanks to the Multishippers Discord Network for encouraging this fic and supporting me as I write it. And of course, to Fecky -- thank you a million times over for taking this on as a beta project. Your edits are so valuable and this fic wouldn't be anything without your help.

“So Rey, what are you looking to get out of this process?”

Rey worried her lip between her teeth, thinking on that question. It was a difficult one. If she gave the wrong answer, she may not be chosen to be a part of the cast. 

She chose to shrug and give her full instinctive answer. 

“I suppose I just love baking.” She hesitated, but the casting agent stared her down until Rey felt the need to elaborate.

“And I’d really like to be somebody. To make something of myself.”

As her words fell from her mouth, the casting agent’s expression changed. Not to pity or sadness but to curiosity. “What do you mean? Do you think you’re a nobody?” prompted the agent.

Again Rey shrugged. She looked down at her hands before turning back to the camera. “My parents have died. I have no siblings or living relatives left. I’m just a girl working at a cafe in Wolverhampton.” She had friends of course, but not a lifelong relationship. “This could help me turn things around. Move up in life. Make a career for myself. I want baking to be more than just a hobby that drives my roommate insane.”

“Your roommate nominated you for the show. How did that feel?”

She considered the question for a moment. “I guess at first I was a bit upset, because this is a massive thing to take on,” Rey explained, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “But when I really got to thinking about it, I was flattered. I’ve never had someone think so highly of me or my baking before. She and our mates across the hall — they all love my baking.” 

“Do _you_ think you’re a good baker?”

Rey smiled, thinking back to all the successes she’d had in the kitchen — to the faint memory she had of she and her mum, baking together in the English countryside cottage where she’d grown up — and she nodded. She looked wistful as she answered, “I like to think so, yes. My mum taught me.”

“Do you think she’d be proud?”

Smile fading, Rey took a deep breath and braced herself. This was always difficult to talk about. Rey hesitated. “I think so, yes. I try all the time to make her proud. My dad, too.”

When she finished speaking, Rey looked to the casting agent. The look of pride and satisfaction on their face gave Rey a flicker of hope that she just might be chosen for this show. 

Maybe.

——

 

**Week Three**

The first time Rey noticed him, it was bread week and he was beating the _hell_ out of his dough. They were meant to be kneading it, building up the gluten so the bread would have the right consistency and appease Paul Hollywood. And Rey was doing that, her biceps pressing almost painfully hard against the restraining fabric of her flannel shirt. She hadn’t planned her outfit through very well.

Hux kept smacking his dough against the counter, though, and it was distracting Rey. Their workstations changed every week, and this week he was directly behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, barely managing to bite back a less-than-polite remark.

Even though she’d only snuck a brief glance backwards, it was enough for their eyes to meet. His striking green eyes bore into her, almost like a challenge. _Do you have something to say?_

They were down to ten of them, and Rey certainly didn’t want to make enemies of everyone who was left. Who knew what would happen if something went wrong down the road and he was the only one left to help?

Instead of engaging him, Rey turned back to her own bread dough and continued kneading it peacefully against her workbench. She wanted her bread to be just right and refused to let someone like Hux get into her head and ruin all of her hard work.

As much as she tried, Rey just couldn’t hide the smug grin on her face as Hux was told later at judging that he’d overworked his dough. Meanwhile, Rey’s was just chewy enough with a beautiful crust. She tried not to look too smug.

—

For as much as Rey liked to believe that she could be a good sport, she was genuinely bitter about the fact that Hux had gotten crowned Star Baker that week. It meant he’d been the top of the pack, even with his overworked bread, and that wasn’t acceptable to Rey. She had to work harder. Practice more. Finn, Rose, and Poe were going to be _so_ sick of desserts by the next weekend because Rey was determined now to not only stay in the competition for another week but also to get Star Baker.

On the train ride home, Rey sat next to the window, her earbuds in and a soothing song playing in her ears. It was a playlist put together for her by Poe, specifically meant to calm her frayed nerves after a stressful weekend of having her baking judged.

As she watched the trees and sheep soar by on their way to Reading station, a flash of color out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. Across the aisle, facing the opposite direction as her, Rey noticed Hux sitting with a book in hand. He, too, wore earbuds, making it clear that he had no intentions of making conversation with anyone. 

The other contestants were somewhere on the train as well — they all took the train to Reading before parting ways to their respective cities — but this was the first time Rey had seen any of them take a seat near her.

Her breath caught when Hux looked up and caught her staring. Their gaze held and as it did, Rey’s heart thrummed wildly in her chest. Was he going to say something? Should _she_ say something?

But before she could really come to a decision, he blinked and then turned back to his book. Rey would even swear that he’d given her the briefest of nods, an acknowledgement of sorts, but what it meant she had no clue.

Rey was thoroughly taken aback by that, and tried not to dwell upon it the whole way home.

After they transferred in Reading, Rey thought far less about it. She sat alone on the ride up to Wolverhampton, finally beginning to relax knowing she was the only contestant on this train. The closer she got to home, the more giddy she felt at the prospect of yet again telling her friends that she’d made it another round. The excitement never diminished, not even as she carried the same news week after week.

Sure enough, the three of them waited in the train station for her, and Rose squealed loudly as soon as she saw Rey’s glowing smile. 

“You made it!?” Poe asked hopefully.

Rey barely had a chance to nod before Rose and Finn had wrapped her up in a hug. Rey smiled at Poe over Rose’s shoulder, and she felt silly for ever doubting herself. She was sure it was only a matter of time until Rose said —

“I told you so.”

She’d been the one to fill out Rey’s application and get the process going. One bite of Rey’s baking and she’d insisted Rey compete on the show. She was completely confident that Rey would win, even. Rey was so grateful for them, her loyal band of American expats.

“So tell us all about it!” Poe urged as Finn and Rose lessened their grip on her.

Rey shrugged as Finn took her bag for her and they began walking to Rose’s car. She was the only one of them who drove, and ended up hauling them all everywhere they needed to go, like their own personal cab driver.

“Well…”

So Rey launched into a retelling of the weekend, not holding back her frustration when she mentioned the part where Hux beat the hell out of his bread, overworked it, but _still_ managed to be Star Baker. “Wait a minute, so this guy seriously screwed up, but still got to win?” Rose asked, appalled.

“Exactly!” Rey exclaimed.

Finn looked at Rey for a moment, studying her, and Rey glared at him for the gaze. She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he opened his mouth to ask her something about Hux’s appearance.

Thankfully, Rose ranted a little bit before Finn had an opening, and it gave Rey a chance to come up with a witty response.

“So…” Finn began, trying to be casual. “Is he cute?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to ask me that.”

“Hey, is it really so bad if we’re hoping you meet someone in all of this?” Rose chimed in, coming to Finn’s defense.

“You guys do realize that nobody else lives around here, right? If I _did_ date someone from the show, _which I won’t_ —” she gave them all a very dangerous warning look, “I’d end up having to leave here, and then you’d all miss me and it’d just be a terrible mess.”

“Oh, come on, we could handle it if it meant you fell in love!”

Rey sat back in her seat, shaking her head. “I’m on _Bake-Off_ , not _Love Island_ , thanks.”

Rose laughed and said, “Careful, or that’s the one I’ll apply for on your behalf next.”

“I’m not hot enough, but nice try,” Rey said, falling into laughter because the prospect of her on _Love Island_ was just too ridiculous to even fathom. Nobody else seemed to be laughing though, which Rey found curious. It killed her laughter, and she felt the need to say, “I’m serious, guys. I’m not going to get a boyfriend on this show.”

“I only asked if he’s cute, you’re the one who went straight to the boyfriend thing,” Finn said defensively.

Rey’s cheeks colored pink. She didn’t know how to answer the question. “I mean… he’s not _ugly_ ,” she said lamely, trying to give Finn a fair answer.

“So he’s hot,” Rose said bluntly.

“Alright, alright, stop picking on her,” Poe interrupted. He knew when Rey had endured enough. And true to his basically-a-big-brother status, he shut down the conversation in its tracks by abruptly changing the subject. “Guess who’s got a gig downtown this week? It’s on a Thursday, so Rey, you could go!”

Rey shot Poe a grateful smile and said, “I’m going to guess _you_ , and I’ll be there.”

He let out an excited whoop, and Rey pointedly ignored the odd look Finn was giving her. She didn’t know what she thought of Hux’s appearance because quite honestly, she hadn’t gotten a good enough look to make a fair judgment, and on top of that, he was a bit pretentious at this point in the competition so that was definitely coloring her opinion.

Thankfully, that conversation was over, and they had moved on to Poe’s music. 

When they got to the building where all of their flats were, Poe asked, “So what’s the baking theme this next week? What will we eat so much of that we’ll never want to eat it again?”

“Desserts,” Rey said smugly. “Ready for your favorite course to be ruined forever?”

“I wouldn’t say forever,” Rose argued. “But for the next few months? I think I could probably handle it so you can keep going back to see _Hux_.”

“Is that his first name?” Finn asked, confused.

Rey shook her head. “No. A few people this time around go by their middle or last names, and he’s one of them. And then there’s Connix, and Mitaka… and Phasma. Phasma’s _amazing_ ,” Rey gushed. “She’s tall — _really_ tall — and she’s so tough. And she never panics or even breaks a sweat, and it’s not fair at all.”

“I think we know who Rey _really_ has a crush on,” Poe teased.

He carried her bag upstairs for her, as Rey said, “I don’t have a _crush_ on her, I just sort of want to _be_ her.”

“Easy. Just go to the gym like I’ve been trying to get you to do for weeks,” Finn laughed.

“I don’t think the gym can get me an extra six inches of height, thanks,” Rey said flatly. “Besides, if you want me to _fall in love_ , as you all seem to, wouldn’t you want me to keep baking so I keep winning?”

“But I thought Hux was Star Baker this week,” Poe interjected as he set Rey’s bag down outside her door.

She rolled her eyes. “Not what I meant.”

He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. “Just gotta give you hell before you fill me with desserts. You realize you’re basically making us all undateable, fattening us up with all these treats,” Poe said.

“You’d all still be dateable if you were two or three times your weight, so shut up,” Rey pointed out stubbornly. “Your weight doesn’t determine that.”

“Boom,” Poe said, his hand on his heart. “You got me there.”

“It’s just a fact,” Rey shrugged. “And the next fact you need to know is that I’ve got approximately an entire bag of flour on me in various crevices because bread week is _hell_ , so I’m taking a shower, and then I’m finding recipes to torture you with this week.”

“That’s fair,” Poe nodded, watching as Rey retreated into her flat.

Out in the hallway, he looked to Rose and Finn and said simply, “She’s totally into that Hux guy.”

“Oh, definitely,” Rose agreed, scoffing at the idea that anyone could have misinterpreted that.

Blankly, Finn looked between the two of them. “But she just said she’s not.”

Across the hall from Rose and Rey’s flat, Poe unlocked their own and shoved Finn inside, ready to tell him a thing or two about Rey, and dating, and all the sneaky ways women can say one thing but mean another.

——

 

**Week Four**

She was not going to cry on the telly. She was not going to cry on the telly.

Rey _refused_ to cry on the telly.

But her desserts had been a disaster — the Signature and the Technical both — and she was fairly certain that what she had planned for the Showstopper was not enough to save her. 

She was going home that weekend. She was sure she wouldn’t be returning. This would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Burnt caramel paired with mousse that didn’t set put her solidly in last place, she was sure of it.

As the group left the tent to go back to the manor for the night, Rey bit her tongue hard, willing the tears gathering in her eyes not to fall. A few of the contestants had given her hugs after the second brutal judging in a row, but it wasn’t enough. Not even a hug from Rey’s idol Phasma could put her in good spirits. 

After filming, everyone would flock to the dining room of the manor to eat dinner together. Rey didn’t feel like it, though, and opted instead to go directly to her room. She felt all eyes on her as she ascended the stairs but didn’t look back.

What she needed was a phone call to Finn and a nice, long shower. And to cry far away from the cameras. It was mortifying enough that she’d let her lip shake and had to blink away tears as she did her interview after the Technical challenge. 

Her shower was relaxing, and she took comfort in crying as the water tumbled down her face, making her feel less like a crybaby. It wasn’t a big deal. Sometimes disasters happened. She wasn’t the only one with bad bakes, she was just… in the bottom two for both challenges so far. No big deal.

But it hurt. Rey liked to win. She was _desperate_ to win.

Alone in her room, eyes sore from crying and hair wet from the shower, Rey settled in on her bed. Just as she pulled out her phone, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Curiously, Rey stood from her bed to see who it was.

It was shocking to Rey to find Hux standing outside her door.

Confused, she blurted out, “Hi.”

He held up a plate and said, “You skipped dinner.”

“I… yeah, I did,” Rey nodded. “I’m fine, though. You didn’t —”

“Just take it.”

Hux offered her the plate; Rey couldn’t resist as the smell of shepherds pie wafted right at her, tempting her. Slowly, she reached up to take the it from him. “Thanks,” she said finally.

Their hands brushed, and Rey was sure Hux could feel just how cold she was. She was grateful now, for the warm food, to try to quell the chill she felt. “Why did you do this?” she asked, stepping back into her room.

By continuing the conversation, she was inviting him in without saying as much. Thankfully, he picked up on that, and followed her inside. “Can’t have you passing out tomorrow during the Showstopper,” he said simply.

Rey snorted, clearly disbelieving that he was being honest. This was a competition, and it wouldn’t be unheard of if he’d wanted her to be sent home by any means possible. It was about time the Bake-Off had a villainous contestant. 

“Alright, fine,” Hux conceded. “To be quite honest, I don’t think your technical deserved to be in the bottom two. There were at least two others whose were worse and deserved to be ranked below yours.”

She sighed. “It doesn’t matter if I _should_ have placed higher, though. I didn’t. And that’s all that will matter tomorrow when they’re making their decision,” Rey argued. “I just need to start accepting that tomorrow I’ll be sent home.” She stuffed a rather large forkful of food into her mouth, effectively eating her feelings.

“Don’t be melodramatic,” Hux scoffed. “You can still come back from this. I’ve seen bigger comebacks on past seasons.”

Curiously, mid-chew, Rey paused. “What?” she asked with a mouth full of potatoes.

“You heard me,” Hux replied. “And you eat like an animal. Swallow your food before speaking.”

Rey swallowed her food and smirked. “Yes, daddy.”

“Ugh,” Hux visibly cringed. “I am into a lot of things, but _that_ is not one of them.”

Her sadness forgotten completely, Rey burst into laughter, suddenly grateful for Hux’s presence. Even a week ago, she would have said he was far too insufferable to spend even five minutes with. But now, here in her room? Rey actually enjoyed his company — especially as he let the traces of a smile show upon his face.

“Why don’t you show this side of you on the telly?” Rey asked curiously.

“They already had a perky red-headed man on the show, a few seasons ago,” Hux explained. “And really, I’m not perky, so why pretend?”

Rey studied him curiously. “What are you like, then?”

Hux shrugged, the neutral expression back on his face. “Like this, I suppose.”

She stuffed another bite of food in her mouth, letting the silence settle in the room for a moment. As she chewed, she noticed that Hux had checked his watch and took a step closer to the door.

“Sorry if I’m keeping you.”

Hux glanced to the door. “You’re not,” he responded. “If anything, I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

The corner of Rey’s mouth turned up in a smile. “If you do, I’ll let you know,” Rey said simply. “You can stay, if you want.”

She kicked her foot out towards the chair across the table from her. Hux crossed the room to sit across from her, watching as Rey shoveled more food into her mouth. There was nothing graceful about her when she ate, which seemed to suit her from what he’d noticed in the tent, as well. She was messy, a bit clumsy; she’d clearly had no formal training with baking. He’d even heard her confess to the cameras that she knew what she had to do for certain bakes, but not the science behind it.

Unlike he, who had read endless books on the art of cooking, on forming gluten structures, on getting cakes to rise without bicarbonate of soda… all the little intricacies that they’d be expected to understand in order to succeed on the show.

And yet he’d consider Rey one of his top competitors in the tent. She consistently pushed him to do better, because she could wing it and be as successful as he was after careful planning.

“So, Hux, tell me more about you,” Rey prompted, her mouth full of food again. Hux was fairly certain that was a habit she would never break.

Hux shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. He still wore his clothes from earlier in the day; there was a small scuff of flour on the collar of his forest green polo shirt. It made him look a little more like the rest of them. Usually he came off as infallible, stronger than everyone else.

“Not much to say, I suppose,” he replied. “I live in London, work in finance, bake in my free time.”

Rey chuckled. “That’s it?”

“That’s really it.”

She tried to keep her tone casual as she prompted, “What about your home life? Are you married?”

Hux looked amused as he shook his head. “No, I’m single.”

“Not for lack of trying…?”

“Subtle, Rey. Very subtle.”

Her cheeks turned pink and she stuffed another forkful of shepherd’s pie in her mouth. “It’s a valid question,” she responded, pointedly speaking with food in her mouth, just to bug him. 

“I’m single, though I don’t actively seek out a partner because nobody has time for that these days,” he said simply. “And the ones who do, I don’t get along with.”

Rey smiled at him, watching as he actually opened up to her. She hadn’t actually expected the honesty he was affording her. 

“I do have a pet, though. A cat. Her name is Millicent.”

“Cute,” Rey said, smile growing.

“And you?” Hux responded, spinning the conversation on its ear.

Rey shoveled another bite of food into her mouth, and actually waited until she’d swallowed it before saying, “I’m all alone.”

And oh, he had no idea just how alone she really was. No family left alive, no siblings. But she did have her friends, and she cared deeply for them, but it wasn’t the same, and it wasn’t what he was asking.

“I see,” Hux replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up ever so slightly.

Somewhere in the midst of their conversation, she’d forgotten all about the competition. She wasn’t dwelling upon how well she had to do the next day, or trying to revise her recipe to up her game. She was just focusing on the conversation, and on the delicious plate of food she’d missed out on if it wasn’t for Hux, and she was suddenly quite grateful for him — a complete reversal of her feelings towards him the week before.

“Thank you for bringing me dinner,” she said earnestly. “I would have been miserable if you hadn’t brought me some.”

“I know,” Hux agreed. “If I’m going to beat you, I would like it to be fairly, not because of a silly reason like you foregoing dinner to have a cry in the shower.”

Defensively, Rey argued, “I don’t think that’s a silly reason.”

“It is,” he nodded. “You had a bad day — who cares? I brought it back after I completely botched bread week.”

“You were _so rough_ with your dough.”

“I was nervous.”

Of all the reasons he could have given, that was the least likely in Rey’s mind. “Well, then you understand how I feel going into tomorrow,” she responded.

She tipped the plate, scraping up the last few pieces of food left, making sure not a morsel was left behind. When she was finished, Rey set the plate aside and looked up at Hux, who was watching her curiously. “You’re going to be fine,” he said finally. “Don’t let today’s judging get in your head.”

“Easier said than done,” Rey responded.

“Well…” he trailed off. Rey raised an eyebrow; she wondered if he’d have some sage wisdom to pass along, or if he’d want to stay. What would he say? She released a breath and as almost disappointed when he said, “Get a good night’s rest and crack on tomorrow.”

“I will,” she nodded, looking earnest. _God_ she wanted him to stay — to talk, to keep her mind off of things. But it wouldn’t be right, and it wasn’t why they were there. “You should, too. I’d like to beat you fair and square.”

Hux smirked. “That’s the spirit.”

——

The next day, as they were waiting to hear who’d be crowned Star Baker and who would not be returning to the tent the following week, Rey and Hux were seated next to each other. It was coincidence, of course — the producers wanted everyone spread out just so, for reasons Rey didn’t care enough to try to understand — but she was grateful for it. 

Her signature bake had been… _okay_. She’d done alright. She’d tried her hardest to come back from behind during desserts week. And now, sitting side by side as the cameras lined up and the lights were aimed at them, Rey felt a comfort in the way his shoulder pressed to hers.

When she adjusted herself on the stool, her knee bumped his, and he glanced over for just long enough to see that her hands were trembling. 

What she’d baked that day in the tent may not be enough to secure her place in the competition the following week. Rey knew it, and she was sure everyone else did, too.

Just as many competitors had done for each other in the past, Hux reached over to take her hand. Rey’s hand was clammy, and it was trembling, and her fear was so evident to everyone in the room. She looked over as his hand touched hers, warm and comforting. He must feel like he was safe. He was — his three tiered cheesecake tower had set beautifully, and all the flavors had been on point, and he hadn’t burned the crust… everything Rey’s hadn’t done.

Her eyes locked on his and though his expression remained neutral, a wave of relief washed over her at the thought of him caring enough about her to try to comfort her. He’d never performed poorly enough to be in the same position as her — so far, at least — but the fact that he could empathize made Rey feel much better. She wouldn’t fully be at peace until they filmed this last part, but it was progress. _Something._

Finally, the cameras were switched on, and Rey wondered if Hux would retract his hand and leave Rey to deal with the anxiety on her own as the cameras rolled. But he didn’t. He stayed supportive, though they both faced forward, their best, bravest expressions on.

“And this week, I have the more onerous task of telling everyone who will not be joining us in the tent next week,” said the brunette host, gazing at the nine remaining bakers in the tent. “Very sadly, we will all have to say goodbye to…”

Rey squeezed Hux’s hand as she bit her tongue, trying to stop her lower lip from trembling. She looked down, sure that it would be her. He squeezed back, thumb rubbing the back of her hand, and Rey knew it. This was it.

One syllable. Easy to say. Easy to forget. J _ust say it_ , she willed the host.

“Mitaka.”

Rey didn’t move. Her eyes went wide, and she stared down at her lap. Had she misheard? Sure, Mitaka had performed poorly but… Rey had _bombed_ dessert week. She’d done absolutely terribly. This had to be a mistake.

When she looked up, the group was already stepping forward to hug Mitaka, to bid him farewell. It felt surreal; Rey was in total and utter disbelief. “I told you you’d make it,” Hux said to her, the faint traces of a kind smile upon his face.

She turned to him, still rendered speechless by the judges’ decision. “I —”

As soon as Mitaka was within her sights, Rey wrapped him up into a hug. She didn’t know what she could possibly say to him. Should she apologize? It should have been her. She was _sure_ it would be her. And yet, it wasn’t.

In the flurry of hugs and congratulations (the tall, brooding man named Ben had won Star Baker that week), Rey found herself standing face to face with Paul Hollywood, and he looked amused as he took in Rey’s shock. “You’ve got to step up your game next week,” he warned her.

She nodded, still taken aback by the results of the weekend. “I will,” she promised.

“I know you will,” he replied, patting her on the shoulder before turning back towards Ben, to speak to him about his successful weekend.

That evening on the train back to Reading station, Hux sat directly across from Rey, rather than across the aisle. They didn’t speak; it was clear they’d come to a mutual understanding that the ride back was meant for music and meditation. But knowing he was there was a comfort for Rey after such an emotional weekend. 

When the train arrived in Reading, he bid her a nod farewell before heading towards his platform, to take him to Paddington Station, while Rey walked in the opposite direction to board her own train back to Wolverhampton.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Fecky and Rebecca for beta'ing this chapter. As things get deeper into the competition, I struggle more and more with the balance and description, so thank you both for your patience, suggestions, edits, and support.
> 
> And thank you to all the readers as well for coming on this crazy fic journey with me!

**Week Five**

Week five was pies and tarts week, which was Rey’s favorite week to date. She prided herself on her pies — she still looked back in fondness on the day she enlightened Finn, Poe, and Rose to the delight that was a meat pie. They’d all laughed and claimed it was ridiculous — why would you need to put meat in a pie? But the moment she sliced into the one she’d made in an authentic Victorian tin, complete with little dough leaves and berries on top, they’d been hooked. It looked beautiful and had tasted even better.

So she’d shown up for the next weekend, reinvigorated and ready to show off her talent. She’d even gone as far as to wear a dress — one of the two she owned — in hopes that it would keep her mood boosted. It was pale pink with bold flowers across it in deep rose hues. Simple cotton, with a nice a-line waist, the lower portion falling in beautiful waves around her knees. She’d tied her hair up in its usual three buns — her signature look, which Rose insisted would make her unique on the telly — and she’d even bothered with the slightest bit of mascara.

Rey was ready to go.

In their first challenge of the day, when they had to make a double crusted fruit pie, things already began to go downhill.

But luckily, not for Rey.

No, Rey ended up coming out at the top of the pack for the Signature Bake. Rey had spent years trying to master the craft of a good pie. No soggy bottom, no leaking juices. Besides, she had some vague memories of baking fruit pies with her mother, though she hadn’t likely absorbed any of the skills necessary to win a baking competition two decades later. But Rey knew what she was good at, and she knew she was good at pies, so this week’s challenges were _made_ for her.

It appeared that for pies and tarts week, it would be Hux who would struggle. He was once again at the station behind Rey, and sometime during the first half of their two hour bake, he had fumbled and sliced his hand right open. 

It wasn’t severe enough that he’d needed to be carted out of the tent, but it was bad enough that his finger was wrapped in gauze, and then tape, and he’d had to wear a rubber glove for the rest of the bake. Rey couldn’t figure out why he looked so red and distracted when she’d turned around, alerted by his shout of profanity. All she’d been doing was bending over to take a look in the oven at how her pie crust doing. She was blind baking it, so as to try to prevent soggy bottoms. No big deal. Definitely nothing distracting.

So, between bakes when the contestants had a chance to try each other’s pies and sip on some tea, Rey took a seat next to Hux. 

“Hi,” she said simply.

She crossed one leg over the other, kicking her foot. She wore knockoff Doc Martens, and playfully tapped her toes against his calf. 

“Hello,” he responded curtly.

Rey tipped her head to the side, looking concerned. “Are you alright? That looked like a pretty bad cut.”

He held up his hand, which was still wrapped in gauze and medical tape, but was free of the rubber glove for now. His whole face was flushed, and he avoided her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, good,” Rey responded. She smiled brightly, oblivious to his cagey demeanor. “I’d hate to win over you because of an injury. I’d rather do it fair and square.”

Her callback to their conversation the week before when he’d brought her dinner flooded back to his mind. Hux looked up with a smirk on his face as he said, “I’m not letting a simple cut get in the way of making it to next week.”

“Good,” Rey said with a smile. “Whichever of us beats the other will have to do it fairly.”

“Oh, I will.”

Rey’s eyes danced with mirth as she watched him, sipping her tea. She liked this little rivalry they had, and appreciated that even when she became really competitive, he could keep up the banter. Hux was someone with whom she could push boundaries and they wouldn’t have to worry about it being too far. 

“You’re going down this week,” she said, setting down her teacup. “Pies are my favorite thing to make. And they’re what I’m best at. My friends _love_ my pies.”

Hux raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you were all alone.”

Caught off guard by the question, Rey said, “I — I thought you meant like, a relationship. Or family. Severely alone on both counts, I promise you.”

“But friends?”

Rey laughed, still confused by Hux’s inquiry. “Of course I have friends. Doesn’t everyone?”

“I suppose.”

She watched him for a moment; the way he kept his bandaged hand in his lap, the calculated way he’d put milk and sugar in his tea _just so_ , the way he avoided her eyes. “You _do_ have friends, right?”

“Of course,” he snapped defensively. He paused a beat. “Work friends.”

“Right, well… I work in a cafe with two grumpy old women, so… I can’t say the same,” Rey answered. “I have my flatmate, who I met several years ago when she was still studying abroad near me. And then her boyfriend and his best friend, who moved in across the hall.”

“Cozy.”

“I love my expats,” Rey smiled smugly.

At Hux’s quirked eyebrow, Rey replied, “They’re all American. They came here for work.”

“Ah.”

Rey laughed. “You don’t approve.”

He shrugged off her question. “I’ve just never met an American that I’ve liked,” he said simply.

Playfully, Rey asked, “Have you met _anyone_ you truly liked?”

Hux’s eyes were filled with something new — mischief, maybe? amusement? — before he spoke. “One or two, maybe. Depends on how things play out.”

Rey grinned brightly, pleased with his answer and the implications of it, and noticed the way it made his smile widen, too.

She watched him sip his tea to push away his smile, but the deed was done. She’d made him smile, and she’d gotten him to relax, and she’d swear that if she squinted just a little, she could say he’d flirted with her.

Something about that last thought made her giddy and jittery as they went into the tent, bracing themselves for the Technical challenge.

— 

It wasn’t the worst Technical Rey had ever done. In fact, she placed higher than she ever had before. Rather unfairly, Ben beat her out for first place. The American — dual citizen, he’d insist up and down, who’d only moved to England when he was a teenager because his mother was a politician — the _American_ had naturally won the Technical challenge. Of _course_. Who else could possibly win a challenge in which everyone had to make a double-crusted apple pie? It was practically written _for_ Ben.

Rey had given him a run for his money, though, and she was pleased to see that Hux only trailed her by a few places, finishing fourth to her second place.

That evening, everyone gathered together for dinner, as usual. Everyone sipped the mead that had been poured for them, and they devoured the roast duck with a hunger unlike they’d ever felt before. Baking pies all day — they’d literally spent fourteen hours on set — had been exhausting. And it really built up an appetite.

Rey helped herself to the empty chair next to Hux, and she found that making actual conversation was easier with him than she’d expected. Competitive banter, they could do, but true conversation was new territory. They actually got to speaking about things other than baking or trying to out-bake the other. Rey talked about her job at the cafe — mundane, and she wasn’t allowed to touch much of anything but the till and the coffee maker — and Hux told her about life in the city.

Though she’d grown up in England, Rey couldn’t actually recall what London was like. She’d gone once, a few years ago, to see a One Direction concert with Rose. But prior to that, she’d only gone with her parents. And given that her parents passed when she was seven, Rey had no memory of that visit. She could vaguely picture the guards at Buckingham Palace, but she couldn’t tell if that was made-up, real, or some combination of reality and television.

“I’d like to go back one day,” Rey said wistfully, sipping at her second glass of mead. She knew she should slow down; she’d have an absolutely terrible time the next day if she kept going.

“What, back to London?” Hux asked. The dark red mead had stained his lips a beautiful crimson, and Rey couldn’t stop herself from staring as he spoke. He seemed to pick up on that, too, if the way the corners of his mouth ticked up was any indication.

Rey nodded.

“It’s not as exciting as everyone makes it out to be,” he responded.

Playfully, Rey kicked him beneath the table. “Don’t be a grump. It’s been so long since I saw the city. I’m sure I’d find it quite exciting, thank you very much,” she argued. “I’ve heard the Natural History Museum is breathtaking… and I really want to go to the top of the London Eye!”

Genuinely baffled by that exclamation, Hux asked, “Why?”

“It’s so high up,” Rey smiled. “I’m sure the view is wonderful.”

“It’s a lot of the tops of buildings,” Hux said boredly. “You’d get tired of it so quickly.”

She took another sip of her mead, and then glanced up at Hux. “It’s different for you, though. You grew up around that. You’ve been seeing the city and all the excitement for… what, twenty-something years?”

Hux raised an eyebrow.

“Thirty-something?”

He tapped his nose. He’d be more detailed later, if she asked. He didn’t think she’d ask.

“Well, that only proves my point further,” Rey argued. “For you, there’s no novelty. But for me… all I know are the muddy hills of Wolverhampton and a fuzzy memory of Buckingham Palace with my mum and dad. For me, it’d be _wonderful_.”

Hux tipped his head to the side. “Why don’t you come visit sometime? Take the train home with me after one of these weekends. I’ll show you just how boring London can be,” he bargained.

Rey snorted. “You’re inviting me to visit you just so you can _prove a point_?”

“Would you come for any other reason?”

She studied him closely, her eyes boring into his, glancing down to his lips, and then back up to lock his gaze. She would. Being around Hux was exciting; he kept her on her toes and their conversations were always interesting. Rey found that he was just different enough from her friends to spice up her life in new ways — and she wasn’t done getting to know him just yet.

“I would, yeah.”

All he’d have to do is ask. If he wanted her to be there, to spend time with him, to just _be_ with him, she knew deep in her heart that she’d trust him and she’d go.

“Huh,” he responded. He tipped his head back and swallowed the last of his mead, noticing that the other remaining contestants were beginning to retreat to their rooms. “Good to know.”

Rey took another sip of her mead, and then tried to drink down more as Hux just had, but it was too much. When she lowered the glass, she stared openly as Hux reached out and plucked it from her hand by the stem. “I think you’ve had enough tonight,” he said, noticing the way her eyes were beginning to go glossy and a bit unfocused. “You said meat pies are your specialty, right?” 

She beamed and nodded. “Can you believe it, my friends didn’t even know they _existed_?” she asked incredulously.

“Given they’re Americans — yes, I can.”

Rey giggled, and as Hux helped her stand, Rey felt the full weight of the mead on her shoulders. Or maybe that was gravity. Hux held her steady, and together they left the table of the lovely manor they got to stay in on the weekends. It was lavish and beautiful, though every surface seemed historic and not worthy of mere amateur bakers’ presence.

“You’re so nice to me,” Rey observed as they walked together up the stairs.

She was a bit unsteady on her feet, but she knew where she was, and what she was doing. She’d remember everything in the morning — though may have a bit of a headache as she looked back upon it.

“You say that like you’d expected me to be some tyrannical, homicidal monster.”

Rey giggled. “No. But you didn’t seem like you wanted to talk to people when we started,” she explained. “You glared a lot. You always looked grumpy.”

“I didn’t want to get too close to anyone. I still don’t.”

“Why not? Will it hurt your feelings when you lose to them?” Rey giggled.

Together, they stood at the door to her room. Hux kept a steady hand on her waist, and used the other to open her bedroom door for her. 

“Sure,” he conceded. “That’s exactly why.”

Rey began to walk into her room, but as soon as his fingers drifted away from her hip, she froze. When Rey turned back to face Hux, she was chewing her lower lip between her teeth and looking up at him with a curious expression on her face. 

In just a few moments, as soon as her hand came up to cup his cheek, Hux could tell what was going to happen. 

But he didn’t want Rey to regret anything, nor did he want her to feel obligated to repay him with a certain amount of kindness. So, rather than granting her the kiss she was so clearly going in for, he ducked his head down and placed the softest of kisses to her cheek.

“You should get some rest. Have some paracetamol and get to sleep,” he instructed. “Tomorrow, when I make a better meat pie than you, I expect it to be because I’m better, not because you’re hungover.”

Rey’s eyes met his, and though she looked confused, she still wore a smile on her face. How she could do that, especially after all she’d been through, Hux couldn’t comprehend. “Alright,” she agreed.

She stepped back into her room, one hand on the doorknob. Ever so slowly, Rey pushed the door shut, smiling at Hux and the way he was making sure that she got to bed safe and sound. 

His footsteps didn’t disappear down the hallway until she’d safely clicked closed the lock on her door. The whole time she got ready for bed, the smile never left her face. Though her head swirled with the effects of the mead, something entirely different made her eager to take on the following day.

—

In a move that shocked nobody more than Rey, she won the title of Star Baker. She placed higher than everyone else in the Showstopper challenge: making a family-sized meat pie. Hers was baked to perfection, as she’d promised the judges it would be. No soggy bottom, no leaking grease… just pure perfection of layers of meat and potatoes in a well-baked crust.

Rey’s smile stayed firmly on her face the whole walk to the bus, and she noticed the way that Hux kept looking at her — as though he was unsure, almost. The expression looked entirely out of place on his face, and she didn’t like it one bit.

“Perk up. You got Star Baker once already, it was about time I got a chance,” she said to him, nudging his ribs as they waited their turn in line to board the bus.

“Indeed,” he agreed.

He took a seat next to Rey, just as he had the week before. It was the norm, now — sitting together, even when they didn’t have much to say to each other. Rey had blurry recollections of the night before, and she understood completely why he may not want to speak to her. But yet he’d still chosen to sit next to her, so clearly he wasn’t too angry about how she’d behaved.

“I’m sorry about last night,” she said finally, as the bus pulled out of the drive. “I shouldn’t have had that second glass, and I definitely shouldn’t have tried to —”

“It’s quite alright,” Hux responded. He avoided her eyes, but had the traces of a smile on his face as he said, “I understand. I’m quite a handsome fellow.”

“I — _what_?”

“You heard me.”

Once again, his competitive nature and his ego were out to play, and he was using them very cleverly to deflect from the conversation Rey was trying to have. “You’re —”

“Handsome, yes,” Hux nodded. “I understand.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” Rey responded bluntly.

Hux turned to look at her, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity. “What _were_ you going to say?” he asked.

She gaped. What _had_ she been about to say? Something about his statement — which had made a faint blush cross her cheeks, and she could feel it, and she resented her body for such a betrayal — whatever he’d said had completely derailed her train of thought. 

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Alright,” he replied.

Hux put an earbud in one ear, and then the other, and leaned back against his seat. Rey glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but opted not to say anything. She didn’t know what she’d say if she _could_. She slowly put her earbuds in, too, and gazed out the window at the lush green English countryside.

Everything about being on Bake-Off felt surreal, but somehow this friendship she’d begun to forge with Hux was the oddest thing about it. She knew that in past seasons, the contestants had grown close. Some were still good friends — in each other’s weddings, cared for each other’s children, visited each other at their inevitable book launches and book signings around the country. But none had ever hit it off in quite the same way as she and Hux had.

It wasn’t a romance. Could she call it that?

He endured her, sure. They spoke, and looked out for each other, and pushed each other to be better. Like polite English bakers _did_ on Bake-Off. 

But Rey was sure that they never drank and tried to kiss one another — a move she still couldn’t believe she’d tried to make the night before — and she was certain that they never bantered quite the same way she and Hux did.

When the train arrived in Reading where they’d part ways, as they had every week so far, Hux looked to Rey and granted her a nod. She responded in kind, pushing away any odd feelings she might have had about her behavior the night before. He’d clearly let it go, so she should, too.

But the whole train ride back to Wolverhampton, it was all Rey could think about. She shouldn’t find him attractive. She shouldn’t want anything but friendship with him. Just as she told her friends, this was _Bake-Off_ , not _Love Island_. She wasn’t there to find love — and it was time to stop thinking about him in that way. If she had any hope of staying in the competition and winning, she needed to change her outlook. Hux was _just a friend_. Clearly, from his reaction to Rey’s tipsy attempt at kissing him, friends was all he wanted to be. 

Realizing this made Rey’s chest tighten, made her whole body fill with disappointment, because she liked him a lot. More than she knew she should. Since he didn’t reciprocate, she knew it was already time to try to push past those feelings — to accept a friendship in lieu of a romance if it was all she could get — but it wasn’t going to be easy.

Rey was grateful that evening when only Finn was at the train station to pick her up. He took her smile and her reassurance that she was fine at face value, and let the rest go. Then, Rey had a chance to retreat to the shower, and then to her room, without so much as a single question from Rose.

Usually she didn’t mind, but that night — Rey needed to think. 

She needed to focus, and to try to get Hux off of her mind. There was no other way that things could end: letting her feelings for him grow deeper would only lead to disaster.

——

 

**Week Six**

There were only seven bakers left. It was odd to think that she’d made it this far already, given how talented everyone else on the show seemed to be. Rey went into the process guessing that she’d be sent home about halfway through — though not for lack of trying. For as badly as she wanted to win, she could acknowledge that there were just some things that the other bakers were better at — and would likely mean they would win, instead of her.

But for as low as her goals were, she didn’t want to leave the tent. She loved baking, and she appreciated all the feedback she got from the judges, and most of all she enjoyed spending time with everyone.

Hux in particular.

She’d spent all week trying to talk herself out of such feelings, but resigned herself to the opinion that friendship was better than nothing. Or rather, Rose kicked that thought into her head, because she’d rather get shipped back to America than Rey get sent home too soon because she was moping over a man.

This week though — Rey felt nervous to tackle it. _Free week_. At first, it sounded exciting. But when she’d realized it meant leaving out an often-crucial ingredient, it suddenly became much less exciting. Dairy-free swiss rolls for the Signature bake? Maybe she could do that. But she wasn’t very good at anything to do with cold or frozen items. Her body ran warm, and she worked better with warm things. It was hard to explain it; that was just the way she was. And then the Showstopper — sugar-free cake. A little easier than a dairy-free round, but still not Rey’s specialty.

And both of these bakes and the ingredients they had to omit meant she had an inclination as to what the Technical might involve, but had no way how to plan for it.

And though Rey wanted to dwell on it all during the ride to the manor, to go over her notes and her recipes millions of times, she couldn’t bring it in herself to do that. 

Primarily because Hux had just sat down next to her on the bus.

“Hi,” she said warmly, pulling out one of her earbuds to give him some of her attention.

“Hello,” Hux answered curtly. He didn’t seem to be in the best of moods.

Rey quirked an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

He turned to look at her. “Preparing for this week has been the bane of my existence,” he answered bluntly.

Her laughter was bright and full of amusement. “I completely agree,” she replied. She turned in her seat to face him a little better. “I couldn’t get my friends to eat most of it. Usually they’re happy to taste what I make and give me advice, but this time…”

“I had the same problem,” Hux replied. “Plus, I’ve been trying to use my mother’s recipes whenever possible, and she has absolutely _none_ to suit this week.”

Excited at the fact that Hux had trusted her with a kernel of his past, Rey asked, “Your mum bakes?”

“She did, yes,” Hux nodded. “She passed when I was a teenager.”

“Oh,” Rey replied dumbly. “I’m sorry.”

The awkward silence that swirled around them made Rey’s skin crawl, and she desperately grappled with topics in her head, waffling between asking more about his mother or not. But she wanted to know, and — if he didn’t want to talk about her, he’d say so.

“Did you bake with her a lot?”

“I did,” Hux nodded. He spoke simply, like he was reciting facts, rather than recalling a loved one. “She taught me everything I know.”

“But not your dad?”

Hux laughed dryly. “My father is a workaholic.”

“I’m sorry,” Rey said again.

“Not to worry. I’m a grown man, it’s not as though I need a father around, anyway,” Hux responded simply.

Something about the edge in his voice made Rey raise an eyebrow, though. He spoke as though he _was_ hurt, even if he desperately tried not to be. She wanted to ask, but as the bus jolted and departed for the manor, Rey had to fumble to save her cell phone from falling to the floor and the conversation was deemed complete. By the time she’d straightened up in her seat, Hux’s earbuds were back in and his eyes were closed as he rested his head against the back of the seat.

The journey was short, and when they arrived at the manor that Friday evening, everyone disappeared to their rooms to drop off their bags and get some rest. The next day was going to be a big one — Saturdays always were, with both the Signature and the Technical bakes being filmed in the same day.

To say that Saturday was a disaster would be an understatement.

Things hadn’t started well when they had to make a dairy-free Swiss roll and Connix had accidentally taken Hux’s sorbet from the freezer. As a result, he’d had to use hers, which was watery and had no flavor. The mix-up had been because they’d both made a raspberry sorbet, and stored them in plain, unmarked glass bowls. Hux had been _livid_ , and most of his reaction would likely be edited out for the telly, given all the profanity he’d used. It had been bad.

The judges obviously critiqued the bakers for what they’d made, not what they’d used in their bake, so Hux at least had that going for him. But he was still angry. 

Rey had tried desperately to find him and speak to him, to try to help calm his temper, but he’d disappeared into the manor before she could snag him. He’d stayed in the manor right up until the very last minute before the Technical, so Rey couldn’t say hello when he’d returned, either.

And then, for their Technical challenge, they’d had to make a gluten-free loaf, and Hux’s hadn’t risen. Rey’s hadn’t either, to be fair — in fact, only Phasma’s loaf had risen. She didn’t tell them until afterwards, but she was gluten intolerant and made herself gluten-free bread weekly, and she had done for years.

By the time the brutal Technical judging was done, everyone was in a mood, save for Phasma. But nobody was being harder on themselves than Hux, who was red in the face and appeared to be absolutely furious with himself the entire time their Technical bakes were ranked. 

He should have been pleased that he’d at least ranked one place above Rey. She wanted to tell him so, too. But, just as after the Signature, he disappeared from the tent when filming was done before anyone could so much as get a word in with him. He hadn’t even stopped to do an interview.

Rey watched as he stalked up the hill to the manor, which meant one of the producers had the opportunity to snag her to film an interview. Ben was brooding, Connix looked near-tears, and Rey knew her own eyes were still red-rimmed from the tears she’d shed when her flat loaf had come out of the oven. None of the interviews they’d film that evening would be very positive, that was for sure.

The rest of the evening wasn’t much better.

Nobody could stomach much of anything at dinner, but it did occur to Rey as she put her fork down upon her half-eaten plate of curry that Hux hadn’t gotten any dinner at all. The thought that she could repay the favor put the smallest of smiles on her face, and was the perfect excuse to drop in and make sure he was okay. So she piled some curry on a plate, gathered some silverware, and stood from the table.

Carefully, she climbed the stairs and went to the end of the hall where she knew Hux’s room was. She’d been taken aback by his temper earlier, but trusted that he’d be kind to her when she paid him a visit, even in his anger. But because she didn’t know him well, and couldn’t guarantee that he’d keep calm around her, Rey hesitated just slightly before knocking on the door. 

The longer she stood and waited, the more she wondered if he was purposely ignoring her.

But just as Rey was about to give up and bring the uneaten food downstairs, the door swung open. When their eyes met, neither of them could find words. Rey stood, a plate of lukewarm curry in her hands, her face clearly showing signs of crying, and Hux completely disheveled, the top buttons on his shirt open, his face still red.

“I’m not hungry,” Hux said.

He didn’t sound angry, though. Just defeated. Somehow, that emotion on someone who was usually so strong and unflappable was even more heartbreaking. But at the same time — she knew the feeling and was sure she’d sound the same if she could actually speak.

Rey stood, unmoving. All she’d wanted to do was something nice for him. Repay the favor. Look out for Hux.

They needed to be on a level playing field.

When she didn’t speak, nor walk away, Hux stepped back and opened the door further, inviting her in. Rey entered slowly, taking care to leave plenty of space between them.

She half expected him to continue holding the door open, as though inviting her to set down the food and then promptly _leave_ , but he didn’t. Instead, he quietly closed the door behind her and watched as she placed the curry on the small table by the window. It was dark outside, and they’d seen the dark rain clouds rolling in as the sun had been setting — it would start raining soon. Fitting, given everyone’s mood.

Again, Rey found herself unable to form words. She didn’t know what to say to cheer Hux up, because she felt just as defeated as he’d sounded. What could she possibly say to make it better, rather than worse? They were both in a terrible spot, so it was difficult to come up with cheerful platitudes or optimistic assurances.

“I suppose we’re even now.”

It wasn’t what Rey had expected him to say — though she was never quite sure what was going to come out of Hux’s mouth. One moment he was brash and competitive, and the next he was actually being thoughtful. He was a mystery to her; one she was intrigued by and attracted to.

“That’s not why I came,” Rey said finally.

She watched him across the room, heart thudding hard in her chest. She knew why she’d come, but couldn’t say it out loud.

“Thank you.”

To his gratitude, Rey only nodded. She was still unsure of what came next, or why kept standing on that side of the room, watching her with a mixture of confusion and frustration on his face.

When she sniffled, his eyes suddenly became hyper-focused on her. 

Rey didn’t know why she still felt so emotional. Maybe it was the weight of being there, in his room, _wanting him_ and knowing it was stupid to want such a thing. Knowing she couldn’t have him, that she wasn’t supposed to develop feelings like this. And that on top of the stress of the day…

She felt ridiculous, even as she took a deep breath and pushed away all the emotions bubbling up within her. It was confusing and more than she had the brainpower to deal with.

“Rey.”

She hadn’t realized her gaze had wandered from his, that she’d been looking anywhere at him as she willed her emotions to stop bubbling to the surface again. She’d cried enough for one day. For a whole _weekend_ , even.

Hux stepped slowly towards her, taking care not to spook her just as she’d done for him not five minutes earlier. She noticed then that he was already stocking-footed. Something about that fact made her gut twist strangely. Something about that was so _comfortable_. Were they already that comfortable with each other?

Rey tucked her hands in the sleeves of her jumper. She didn’t know what to do with them, or what to say, or whether she should keep looking into his eyes. If she did… Rey wasn’t sure what she’d do, at this point, given her growing feelings towards him. She was emotional and vulnerable, and he was being so _kind_.

“I’m no good at comforting people,” he spoke softly. “So if you’re going to cry… just… be warned.”

Rey laughed, blinking a few tears from the corners of her eyes as she did. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said, her words wet, her voice weak.

“Today has been a difficult day,” Hux explained. “It’s completely understandable.”

“I’ve had a bad day before.”

She was just making excuses, now. Rey didn’t even care why she was crying. What she cared more about was the fact that he was still slowly walking towards her and the frustration on his face was gone. He was studying her now, like he was trying to figure her out, which would be quite difficult for him given the fact that Rey couldn’t even figure herself out.

“You cried on that bad day, too,” he said, as though it were some sort of excuse for crying now. Was it? Rey wasn’t sure. 

She brought one hand to her face, dabbing at the tears lingering on the apple of her cheek. Her jumper absorbed them, leaving her skin feeling taut and dry. Rey never liked the feeling of crying. 

When she looked up into his eyes again, Hux was watching her. She noticed flecks of gray in his eyes, the way they were a blue-green that confused her — she couldn’t pinpoint the color, and it was annoying. But then she saw the _emotion_ behind his gaze — his concern, his own frustration tamped down because in 0.2 seconds he was about to have a crying young woman in his bedroom.

Rey shook her head, a silent apology, as her lower lip trembled and she felt more tears springing to her eyes. 

When he wrapped his arms around her, Rey stood stock-still for a moment, shocked by the gesture. She’d come to try to comfort him, so why was she the one who suddenly needed the comforting?

But the mere feeling of arms around her gave Rey such a sense of security that every worry and question and fear was completely pushed away. Her hands hooked beneath his arms, hands half-covered by the sleeves of her jumper as she clung to him, face buried against his neck.

She didn’t know how long she’d stood there, sobbing onto his shoulder, clinging to Hux like it was going to be their last time together. 

Though, if she performed as poorly the following day as she had earlier — it truly would be their last time together, because it was almost a guarantee that she’d be sent home.

Hux had the patience of a saint, Rey thought to herself as he held her, letting her get all of her tears out onto his expensive-looking button down shirt. It couldn’t be too expensive, if he’d been willing to risk staining it while baking in the tent, but she still felt bad. The teardrops looked pitiful on his shoulder as she leaned back.

She brought one hand to wipe away the tears from her cheeks, but kept the other firmly wrapped around him. She still needed his comfort. She wanted to linger in his embrace for as long as she possibly could, in case it was the first and only time she’d have the chance.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice hoarse. She avoided his eyes as she dabbed at her cheeks some more with the sleeve of her jumper. “Look at me, coming here to comfort you and ending up a blubbering mess. I’m the worst.”

Rey could have sworn he almost sounded amused as he said, “No, you’re not.”

When she looked up at him, there were no words to say. He was there, and he cared for her, at least enough to let her break down in his arms. And now he still held her, almost as though he were afraid that letting go of her would mean she’d just break.

Rey wasn’t going to break, but… admittedly, she felt a little fragile.

“Tomorrow we just have to go in and do our best,” he said with a hint of resignation in his tone.

She nodded, but felt little comfort. “I know,” she agreed.

With the lightest of touches, Hux brushed a strand of hair away from Rey’s cheek where it’d stuck in the damp tear tracks on her face. “You can still salvage things,” Hux reminded her. “You’ve done it once before.”

“Unless my luck has run out,” she replied.

Hux sighed. They both sounded so resigned; the conversation was going to run in circles and devolve into nothing that would be good for either of them. They both seemed to know it, too, so they let the silence linger.

“Get some rest,” he advised after a moment. “That’s what we both need.”

Rey nodded; he was right, but she wasn’t all that sure she was going to be able to sleep, anyway. She was afraid. She was so invested in the competition now that having it end sounded terrible. Rey liked these people — especially Hux. The thought of it ending before she was ready was heartbreaking, and she didn’t like it one bit.

She felt cold and a bit empty as he stepped away from her. _God_ , he’d been so warm, and such a comfort. Rey found it curious that a man who tried so hard to appear prickly and unaffected could be so warm and kind. She liked knowing that about him.

It was like their little secret.

Slowly, he walked with Rey to the door and opened it for her. As she crossed the threshold and stepped into the hallway, he spoke.

“Thank you for bringing me dinner.”

When she turned, Rey had the smallest of smiles on her face. “Of course.”

Silence, again. It was calm and comforting; they seemed to thrive in silence. Rey took a deep breath, sensing it was time she tried to sleep. “See you in the tent tomorrow,” she said softly.

“See you,” nodded Hux.

Rey turned to retreat down the corridor, towards her own room. The manor was quiet; sometime during her crying fit, everyone else must have gone to bed. Rey opened her own room, and when she glanced back down to Hux’s door, he was still standing there, watching her.

She couldn’t read the look in his eye, but that was alright. Rey was beginning to solve the puzzle of Hux — one person on the outside, another person entirely if you took the time to get to know him — and she felt pleased with the knowledge that he’d trusted her enough to share the more secret parts of himself with her.

He brought one hand up, waving to her, and Rey smiled sweetly as she waved back.

The mood as everyone walked into the tent for the Showstopper challenge was unlike anything they’d felt for any other challenge. There was a hint of resignation paired with clear self-doubt upon everyone’s faces. Even Phasma looked nervous, and she was arguably the only one who was guaranteed to be safe at this point.

Unlike the previous day, the Showstopper challenge was marginally easier. The cakes only had to be free from sugar, so all sweeteners needed to be natural — most were using honey or golden syrup or some variation thereof. They needed to create a three-tiered wedding cake following this rule. All the frosting must be sugar-free, all the cake must be sugar-free… it was the opposite of what most cakes were.

Hux had been snagged for an interview before filming began, because he was the only one who hadn’t completed a single one that weekend. He was as patient and good-natured as could be expected on such a tense, stressful day.

“What kind of recipe have you gone with?” asked the producer.

“Well, I’ve tried to use my mother’s recipes whenever possible, as I’ve said in the past,” Hux replied. “It took a while, but I do think I’ve modified one of hers enough that it’ll suit the brief but not completely mar her original recipe.”

“What changes did you make to it?”

“I’m using honey as the sweetener in the sponge, but I’ve gone with a carrot cake which doesn’t need to be very sweet to begin with,” he explained. “And then there’s the cream cheese icing, but I’m flavoring half with honey and half with fig, to give it some swirls of color. I’m going for the semi-naked style, as I don’t actually like cream cheese all that much.”

“Do you think that’s dangerous, skimping by on the frosting?”

Hux shook his head confidently. “No. That’s how my mother used to frost this cake, as well. And there will be plenty on top and between the layers in the different tiers.”

“Our final question — do you like this cake recipe you’re using today?”

Though he hesitated, it wasn’t for the reason most would think. Hux took a deep breath before replying, “I do, yes. I didn’t expect to, but it surprised me. For years I’ve had the idea of using my mother’s original recipe of this cake for my wedding cake, should I ever decide to get married. But now I think…” he paused, but then nodded after considering. “Yes, I think I’d rather use this modified recipe for my wedding, instead. Something about the figs in the frosting and as the decoration on top just pairs surprisingly well with the carrot sponge.”

Satisfied with his answers, Hux was released to join the rest of the bakers in the tent. Then, the moment everyone was dreading finally arrived: the Showstopper bake began.

That day, Hux’s struggle wasn’t with ingredients, unlike the day before. Instead, his main struggle was getting the frosting to cooperate in such a warm tent. It was sweltering outside, so the cream cheese was becoming quite runny. He kept rushing to the fridge to put layers back, to get the frosting to harden again before he could put the whole three-tiered thing together. It was a _mess_ , and he had cream cheese frosting all over his apron.

He wasn’t the only one with this struggle, either. In fact, several times, the contestants had almost run into each other. And more depressing still was the fact that they were all quickly running out of fridge space. Everything needed to be kept cool or the cakes would collapse.

At judging, Hux was relieved that his three tiered cake had stood, and that the judges had liked it, even with the way he’d chosen to put on less frosting than traditional wedding cakes had. He’d watched, wincing, as Rey had carried up her own three-tiered floral cake and the top layer wobbled. He held his breath, willing it not to topple over.

Thankfully, it didn’t.

At the end of judging, they all got a chance to have a sip of water before gathering together on the row of stools facing the judges, where they would find out their fate that week. Rey sat between Hux and Ben, and the tension they both carried was almost unbearable.

Unsurprisingly, Phasma won Star Baker. She’d had a stellar weekend, the theme basically hand-picked just for her.

Then came the difficult part — who was going to be sent home?

Nervously, Rey reached over for Hux’s hand. Unlike the last time, when he’d reached over to comfort her, this was for both of them. Either of them could hear their name called in mere seconds. 

Neither was safe.

Rey’s knuckles were white, she held onto him so tightly, and Hux gripped her hands with matched strength. Ben’s hand was picking at the frayed knee of his dark jeans, and it caught her eye. She may not be his friend, but they were all in the same situation, and she could sympathize with the anxiety he must be feeling. Warmly, Rey rested her hand on his, and he took her hand in his willingly. He’d needed the comfort, too.

She couldn’t face the judges — none of them could. It was terrifying. Nerve-wracking. They’d all done _so poorly_.

“Connix.”

Nobody moved for a moment, stunned at the name they’d just heard. It could have been any of them. Everyone but Phasma had performed poorly enough to be sent home.

But Hux’s cake had saved him — all of their cakes seemed to have redeemed them — except for Connix.

Rey wrapped the younger girl up in the biggest of hugs, stunned that she’d made the cut. She comforted Connix and wiped her tears, but somehow the blonde managed to put on a brave smile and insist that it was her time. 

Afterwards, as the tent was cleaned up and they waited for the bus to arrive to take them back to the train station, they got to taste each other’s cakes. Given the praises sung by the judges over Hux’s cake, Rey had taken an extra-large slice of his, and purposely sat next to him at the tables out on the terrace of the manor. Connix sat with Ben and Phasma, and over on the other side were the elder two contestants whose names always seemed to evade Rey.

The moment Rey took a bite of Hux’s cake, she understood immediately why the judges had been so pleased. More than that, she didn’t understand why in the world he’d been so nervous about being sent home. There was _no way_. Not with a cake like this.

And she told him as much, too.

“Yes, well, yours was good, too,” he said, pointing to the place on his plate where a slice of Rey’s cake had once been, before he’d devoured it.

“But mine wasn’t structurally sound. Nor was it very beautiful,” Rey argued. “Yours was gorgeous. I want this exact cake at my wedding, no joke. And my birthdays from now until forever.”

When she looked up at him, thinking her statement would be the most flattering compliment she could give a person, she was baffled by his look of shock and slight bewilderment. 

She raised an eyebrow, but as soon as she opened her mouth to ask what his face was all about, he was swiftly changing the subject. “You’re just looking for excuses to travel to London, aren’t you?”

Though Rey really wanted to know what his odd reaction was about, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes. Absolutely. I will go all the way to London for _cake_.”

“Hmm,” he said, feigning disinterest. “I suppose. Maybe I’ll have some free time in five years or so.”

Rey looked at Hux, feigning hurt. But the amusement on his face mixed with the bit of pale blue frosting he forgot to wipe from his lower lip made Rey break out into bright peals of laughter instead. 

She didn’t know what to do with her feelings towards him — it was impossible to know whether he reciprocated, because she’d never seen him interact with anyone other than herself — but she was more than happy to enjoy his company while she could.

They’d both made it one more week, but the odds of both of them staying in the competition were getting smaller and smaller with each passing weekend. It was only a matter of time before this _thing_ they shared had to come to an end.

Rey was determined to enjoy it and make the most of it for as long as she possibly could.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Fecky and Rebecca for your tireless work as betas. I appreciate you both so much.
> 
> And to everyone following along and commenting -- I really appreciate your support! I'm so happy to hear that, at least in an AU setting, Hux can get some love and appreciation :)

**Week Seven**

“Rey, is there a reason you’ve been on your phone every waking moment you’re not baking?” Rose asked curiously.

She wore a look of mischief as they sat together in Poe and Finn’s apartment, beers in hand. It was late Thursday night, and it was their last chance to hang out and relax together before Rey went off to compete for the seventh week in a row.

“I’m not.”

Rey’s denial was futile, though, because she’d just shoved her phone into the front pocket of her overalls, and she already heard it buzzing. She knew it’d be in her hand in less than a minute, no matter what she wanted to tell her friends.

As he lowered his bottle of beer from his mouth, Poe pointed to her with it. “It’s the guy, isn’t it? The Hux guy?”

“It _has_ to be,” Rose grinned.

Rey rolled her eyes and took another sip of her beer. “We’re just friends.”

“I love you Rey, but if even _I_ can tell you’re crushing on him, then it’s gotten really bad,” Finn argued. “What are you guys even talking about?”

She shrugged. It was becoming progressively harder to resist the urge to reach down and pull her phone from her pocket with each passing moment. “You can’t talk about the competition all day, can you?” Poe winked coyly, amusement on his face.

“It’s one of those _things_ , I guess,” Rey said vaguely, trying to answer his question without getting too specific. She didn’t want them to know too much — it was scary, thinking she might jinx things. “We just talk about whatever comes up. Not necessarily baking, but… sometimes baking, I guess.”

Rose tipped her head to the side. All teasing expressions were gone in favor of a more serious, protective look. “You really like him, don’t you?”

Rey sighed. She took another sip of her beer and said, “I guess, kind of, even though I’m sure it’ll end badly.” She looked around at her friends; she could tell they wanted more — they desperately wanted to be in on this part of her life, just as she got all the insider details on _their_ personal lives, too. “Fine,” she said, resigned. “Yes, I do. I really like him.”

Excitedly, Rose clapped her hands, and Finn patted Rey on the shoulder to congratulate her for finally admitting it. “That’s great,” Poe intoned. “That’s really great, Rey.”

“Does he like you back?”

Everyone heard Rey’s phone buzz again, to which Rose said, “Well, there’s our answer.”

Rey sat awkwardly, her legs crossed as she pointedly tried to look anywhere but down at her phone. She wanted to know what he’d said, but knew the gibes she’d have to endure if she did.

“Oh, just look at it!” Rose said finally. “What did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter what he said,” Rey said, looking relieved as she pulled her phone from her pocket. As she looked down at the screen, she smiled brightly. “We’re not talking about anything you’d care about.”

“I beg to differ,” Poe interjected. “We care about everything you do. Besides, the smile he just put on your face is ridiculous. I’m a little jealous.”

“You know, sometimes I think you all are _too_ supportive,” Rey said flatly.

Finn tried to lean closer, just enough to look at the screen over Rey’s shoulder. She caught on immediately and elbowed him out of the way. “We’re just talking about London.”

“Oh?” Rose said, prodding for more.

Rey shot her a warning look. 

“He lives in London, doesn’t he?” Poe pressed.

Rey nodded. “Yeah, we were talking about how it’d been a while since I’ve been, and all the things I want to do,” she said, casually, trying to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t. “He says most of the things I want to do are boring, and that I should go to London sometime so he can prove it to me.”

The room was silent, and for a moment, Rey checked her phone and didn’t think anything of the silence. She didn’t realize all three of her friends were watching her, stunned. When she finished tapping out a message to Hux, she looked up and asked blankly, “What?”

“You know what he’s trying to do, right?” Rose asked bluntly. “It’s important to me that you understand what he’s trying to do.”

Rey raised an eyebrow. “He wants to spend time with me. I know.” She nodded, trying to brush it off. It wasn’t a big deal. 

“Are you going to go?” Poe asked, his curiosity heightened.

“I’ve thought about it,” she said. “We keep saying we’ll do it when one of us gets sent home, but then we get onto the topic of how we won’t _want_ to do anything if one of us gets sent home, so… there goes that plan.” Rey’s eyes stayed focused on her phone as she typed another response to him; he, too, was lounging around doing nothing the night before going to the tent for competition. “So then we’ve talked about doing it after week ten, but we don’t know if either of us will make it that far, but we’ll still be invited to the picnic, so at least we’ll be in the same place, but… if one of us _does_ make it to the end, we’ll be too exhausted afterwards, and…”

“Rey.”

She looked up at the group, eyes drifting from Rose, to Finn, to Poe. “What?”

“Go to London after week ten,” Rose suggested. “Just go… spend a whole week with him. Don’t leave the apartment for a few days. All of that fun stuff.”

“Yeah, you’ve earned it,” Finn chimed in. “If anyone deserves a vacation, it’s you. You work _so hard_.”

Rey looked at Poe; it seemed natural he’d speak up, too. But he was just smiling at her, that dumb twinkle in his eye that he got when he could tell that they’d won and Rey was going to cave anyway. He didn’t have to say a word. She knew she was going..

“Okay,” Rey nodded. “I’ll tell him it’s decided. After week ten, I’ll go to London with him.”

Rose squealed excitedly as Finn and Poe cheered. It had been a long time since something new and exciting like this had popped up, and nobody deserved it more than Rey.

—

When she arrived at Reading station, Hux was standing where he always did, near the gateway to the train they’d be transferring to in order to get to the tent. He stood calmly with his hands in his pockets, a light tan jacket on to protect him from the cool breeze that accompanied that evening’s rain.

Rey smiled as she approached, no longer unsure about whether he was waiting for her. After several weeks of this, she knew full well the only person he’d wait around for would be her. “Hi,” she greeted in a singsong voice. 

“Hello,” he responded curtly. 

Although he was curt and short with his words, Rey knew there was warmth behind them. She’d gotten to know him deeply, understood that what came off as cool and disaffected to others could actually be covering a thinly-veiled kindness that one had to work hard to earn from Hux. Rey was rather proud that she’d earned it.

“Are you ready to lose this week?” he asked, a coy smile ticking at the corner of his mouth.

“Ha!” Rey laughed. “I’m definitely going to win this week. My plan for the Showstopper will stop the show!”

Hux barked out a bit of laughter. “Well, that _is_ the point of the Showstopper.”

She smiled up at him, and then turned her attention to boarding the train and finding their seats. It wasn’t too difficult to find a spot where the two of them could sit together, and Rey took the window seat right away. Hux stood in the aisle, hand out to take her bag for the overhead compartment, and then tucked his own away too before taking a seat. 

Rey’s earbuds poked out of her pocket, but this time she wasn’t reaching for them. She and Hux had precious little time left together; she knew it, and he knew it. They didn’t want to waste it listening to music to try to get in the zone.

The journey was a short one, only about forty-five minutes in total, but they talked the whole time. Hux told Rey of his work that week — how he’d had to watch some small, pitiful company get bought out by a larger one, and he’d had to deliver the news that the poor little company had no funds left. The cost to buy them out would barely cover the last of their expenses and owed funds. If they were lucky, they’d break even.

“That’s so sad,” Rey said with a frown. “How did they take it?”

“I try not to pay too much attention,” Hux confessed. “If you become emotionally invested in the exchange, the work becomes much more difficult.”

“But the little guys… they need _someone_ to stand up for them. Can’t you do that?” Rey asked.

Hux shook his head. “It’s not my job. I just get paid to manage the exchange of finances between corporations and businesses. Everything else is superlative and will only make my job harder, to be honest,” he explained with the blunt indifference of someone who’d been doing such a thing for many, many years.

Rey frowned. She didn’t know if she agreed with what he did — but then again, _somebody_ had to do it. She glanced out the window and took a deep breath. “I always worry that’ll happen to the cafe where I work,” she mused. “They’re very small. Everything in Wolverhampton is, at least in my part of town. But I do worry that all the Costas and Starbucks will win out. Or that when the women who own it retire, they won’t trust anyone enough to hand it down so they’ll just sell it, or close…”

She looked at Hux. “I’ve been trying to let them know for years that I’m interested, but they don’t very much like me,” she confessed. “I’ve never been able to figure out why.”

Hux considered it for a moment. “Probably because they know if they handed the shop over to you, you’d do a much better job running it than they ever have,” he explained. “They probably feel threatened by you.”

“Or they just think I’m the annoying orphan with the American friends they like to look down their noses at,” Rey grumbled. “And maybe I accidentally flung something through the window once, but it wasn’t my fault.”

“Not all old people are as lovely as Mary Berry,” Hux reminded her. “It’s okay to dislike them, and to want them to just croak already.”

“Oh my god!” Rey shrieked. “How did we get from _they don’t like me_ to _they should die_!?”

Hux chuckled, and he bore a look of smug satisfaction as the realization dawned upon Rey that he’d just put a smile on her face, _again_. He was good at that. Better than she’d expected. 

She was fascinated by the duality of his personality; he could be so cold and distant yet so easily switch to playful and fun — if one got to know him, that is. Rey felt immeasurably special for being able to see both sides of him.

Playfully, unwilling to admit that he’d won this exchange, she elbowed him in the ribs. Swiftly, he caught her arm, and Rey laughed as she tried to wrestle it away. She couldn’t, though, and instead resigned herself to the feeling of his cool, smooth fingertips against her wrist as he held her arm in place. Stubbornly, still wanting the upper hand, Rey turned her palm to face upwards, threading her fingers between his. 

Hux didn’t respond right away, but then Rey wiggled her fingers and truly took hold of his hand, and he submitted to it without hesitation — like he’d _wanted_ to hold her hand.

The smile never left Rey’s face, even as she realized they were flirting like teenagers. That’s exactly how she’d gotten one of the Irving Boys to hold her hand in year nine. Only now it was different — of _course_ it was different, because they were adults, not teens — and Rey’s heart soared a lot more than it had when she was fourteen.

That evening, the remaining six bakers shared a dinner together in the manor. Unsurprising to everyone, Hux and Rey sat by each other. Quite early, everyone turned in, braced for a long day of baking the following day.

Rey had never felt quite so confident, coming out of a full Saturday of baking. She’d done well on her fruit loaf — not as good as Hux, but _close_ — and then their Technical challenge had been one of Rey’s favorites. They had to make funnel cake. Very American, but very delicious. 

Poe had insisted Rey try it many years ago, because it was his favorite carnival treat and he missed it. She’d had to figure out how to make it because there weren’t any places readily available from which to buy funnel cake in winter in Wolverhampton. Rey felt indescribably lucky to have had the experience making it before the Technical challenge commenced.

If she had to make a guess, she’d say that she and Hux were tied for first place by the end of the first day. Not even Ben and Phasma — the other main threats in the tent — had done all that great. They were good, but neither had been stand-out competitors that weekend. Ben’s fruit hadn’t dispersed in the loaf and Phasma had over-fried the funnel cake. It was almost a guarantee to Rey and Hux that they’d make it to the next round: the quarterfinals.

That evening, buzzing on the high of performing so well in the first two challenges, Rey and Hux ate dinner together with the rest of the bakers. They’d taken their time and waited until everyone else had gone to bed, sipping on wine and talking about all the things Rey was going to see in London in a few short weeks. Before too long, the table had been cleared and they sat alone in the dim light of the dining room, wine glasses empty and exhaustion slowly creeping upon them. It was time to go upstairs.

“You’re really sure you want to come to London?” Hux asked, his voice hushed as they ascended the stairs. “I’m sure you’d have more fun with your American friends, and heaven knows they could use some culture in their lives.”

Rey sighed. “Your overwhelming hatred of Americans aside,” she began, “I would rather go with you because you know your way around.”

“So I’ll be your tour guide?” 

She glanced over her shoulder, grinning. “Yes. _Only_ my tour guide.” When they reached the landing, she spun on her heel, nearly sending him flying down the staircase, she’d stopped so abruptly. “Well, and a place to stay. I really cannot afford a place to stay for a whole week.”

Hux raised an eyebrow. “So I’m a warm bed and a guidemap?” he wondered.

Rey winked. They both knew he was much more than that. 

They didn’t talk about it, didn’t consider what it might mean, when Hux followed Rey to her room and she let him follow her inside. Words weren’t always necessary for the two of them. Like now, as they walked into her room, the mood between them shifted to something new and exciting.

Rey was buzzing, an electric sort of excitement pulsing through her limbs as he followed her into her room and the door clicked shut behind them. She toed off her boots and set her jacket aside before turning to look at him. 

Hux watched her, studying her, like now that they’d crossed this line and gotten to this point he wasn’t entirely sure where the new line was drawn. Neither of them were emotional or upset, so the situation was completely different — unlike anything they’d ever shared behind closed doors. Rey took a deep breath, a million different sarcastic remarks in her mind. All she could think to say was something dumb, though — and it tumbled from her mouth anyway.

“You just gonna stand there in your jacket all night?”

Hux raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know what my options were.”

“You’re here,” Rey said, expertly avoiding talking about it as they talked about it anyway. “You might as well get comfortable. We have a few hours before it’ll actually be necessary to try to get some sleep.”

“If you say so,” Hux replied.

He watched as Rey climbed atop her bed; her jeans were skin tight and it really wasn’t fair. She wore them with a slouchy jumper that looked incredibly cozy. Meanwhile, Hux looked as stuffy as usual in his trousers and button down shirt. And yet, here they were — two people who’d found common ground, behind closed doors — the possibilities felt endless and overwhelming.

Hux kicked off his own shoes and rested his jacket gently over the back of the vintage armchair in the corner of the room. He was meticulous with his things, whereas Rey tossed hers haphazardly around the room, making it her own. Hux had grown up being taught not to leave too much of a mark or impression. Rey, however, had not.

She sat at one side of the bed, legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. He noticed a few spots of flour on the thighs of her jeans. She looked a bit of a mess, and yet he found something about her appearance to be incredibly beautiful. Her three buns down her head were frazzled and limp, strands falling loosely at her cheeks.

Rey patted the bed next to her and Hux was pulled from his thoughts. He was staring, and he’d been caught.

As soon as he’d settled on the bed, Rey rested her head on his shoulder and took hold of his hand. Her hands were soft and smooth — and for some reason, he hadn’t expected that. Nothing about Rey tended to be very dainty. She was a messy cook, a brash young woman, and overall was very rarely gentle about anything.

“Are you excited for the quarterfinal?” she asked after a beat. Even her voice was soft, now.

Hux sighed. “Getting ahead of yourself?” he said, amused. “Neither of us have made it through to next week.”

“We’re both safe, you know that,” Rey said simply. “We’re doing the best out of everyone here, this weekend.”

“Tomorrow we could _really_ fuck things up,” Hux reminded her, but deep down he knew they wouldn’t. 

Everything was peaceful and calm. How could they possibly screw up enough to be sent home? Rey giggled and said, “We could, but I don’t think that’ll happen. I’m pretty sure my donuts will put yours to shame.”

“Ha,” he laughed dryly. “My donuts have won me every baking competition we’ve ever had at work.”

“You have baking competitions at work?” she asked, sitting up to look into his eyes.

Hux smirked. “The first few years I was there. Then I kept winning, so they gave up and stopped doing it.”

“Show-off.”

Rey beamed up at Hux, and her heart raced wildly in her chest as he smiled back at her. She knew this was foolish; she shouldn’t feel _this much_ for a man after only knowing him seven weeks. But seven weeks was almost two whole months… other peoples’ relationships had progressed further than this in less time, she was sure.

But even so, Rey knew full well it was risky for her to lean forward, to close the gap between them, to steal away those last two inches and press her mouth to his. 

But she did, and it was _wonderful._

Hux’s hand gripped hers tighter, but he didn’t pull away. He seemed surprised by the gesture, but for what reason, Rey couldn’t fathom. This had been a long time coming — right? She pulled her knees inwards, angling herself towards Hux as she brought her free hand to hold the side of his face gently. As she adjusted her lips against his, she felt the softest brush of his tongue against her upper lip, and suddenly she forgot how to breathe.

Very slowly, Hux unwound his hand from Rey’s, bringing it around her waist instead and pulling her just a little bit closer. He could feel her smiling against his lips, and Rey couldn’t believe she’d waited quite so long to do this. That he was _letting_ her. That what she’d thought was disinterest was… something else entirely. 

As she broke away to take a breath, Rey pressed her forehead to Hux’s and took it all in for a moment, reveling in the way his arm felt around her, at how warm and safe she felt there with him in the soft lamp light as the rain pattered lightly against the window. 

“Why didn’t you let me do that before?” she whispered.

“You were drunk,” Hux replied simply. “I didn’t want you to regret anything.”

Rey leaned away rather abruptly. “Regret _you_?”

She looked confused and a little saddened at the prospect of him feeling that sort of way. Hux’s eyes bore into hers, sparing no emotion. “Perhaps,” he conceded. “But more than that, you were drunk, and I didn’t want you to feel like you’d been taken advantage of.”

She was silent as his words settled her. That made sense, and it was very sweet of him. Not every man she’d met had the same sort of respect for others. “Sometimes we’re our most honest when we’re drunk,” she offered.

Hux nodded. “I know. But I wanted you to be sober, and to do it because you wanted to, and you felt like you could. Without booze.”

Rey smiled, her eyes crinkling in the corners. Her happiness was infectious, and Hux found himself smiling right back at her. “The grumpy Londoner isn’t quite so grumpy anymore, is he?” she teased playfully.

“I’m grumpy because I have no tolerance for stupidity, and there are a lot of stupid people in the world,” Hux argued.

Rey’s smile widened. “But I’m not one of those stupid ones.”

“No,” Hux agreed, leaning forward. Their noses bumped and he should have felt ridiculous, but he didn’t. Being alone with Rey, _happy_ with Rey, felt nice. “You are definitely not.”

Happily, Rey leaned into another kiss, reveling in the feeling. It felt so good, like a dam had broken and now that she knew what it felt like to kiss him, she never wanted it to stop. It should have frightened her, how quickly she’d fallen for him. It was so easy for her to feel safe with him — especially as he held her so tenderly while they kissed.

They stayed like that for longer than they should have, until they were yawning more than kissing and both knew that it was time to get some rest. Reluctantly, Rey walked Hux to the door and stole one last kiss from him before he retreated down the hallway to his own room. She’d wanted desperately to ask him to stay, but they had to be conscious of the other bakers. They didn’t want to share this with them, not yet. While they might have suspicions, things were much nicer when they got to keep this to themselves. 

The next morning in the tent, Rey and Hux exchanged the smallest of smiles before their competitive sides emerged and they faced off in the most high-stakes donut making of their lives.

In the end, Hux won Star Baker for a second time. They had to say goodbye to one of the two remaining elderly bakers, and then the final five got to celebrate the fact that they’d made it to the quarterfinals.

It was further than Rey expected to get in the competition, and she’d never expected this thing she’d found with Hux on top of it. Things felt like they were going better than she deserved. It was more than she could have dreamed of.

She didn’t consider that anything could get in the way and screw it all up. She was too caught up in her happiness.

But it was only a matter of time.

——

 

**Quarterfinals Week (Week 8)**

Once again, Rey spent the entire week away from the tent texting with Hux. He’d given her a goodbye kiss at the Reading platform before they’d parted ways, and Rey had been on cloud nine the rest of the day. Thankfully, Rose made her own assumptions and didn’t make Rey spill what had happened over the weekend until the boys were safely tucked away in their flat across the hall.

Once Rey opened her mouth, she couldn’t stop. She went on about Hux and how kind he was once she’d gotten to know him — and warned Rose at least a dozen times that she was sure he’d just look like the grumpy one when the show was edited together and aired on the telly. But he was so nice once you pushed past the layers, and…

“Just make sure you stay focused, okay?” Rose interrupted.

Rey faltered, her brow furrowed up in confusion. “I am,” she said flatly.

“I’m really happy for you, and I’m so glad you’ve found someone who makes you feel the way he does,” Rose insisted. “And we all wanted him to like you back, I swear!” Then she hesitated, choosing her words very carefully. “But if you get too caught up in him, you won’t focus on the competition. You’ve made it _so far_.”

“I’m still focused,” Rey repeated. “He and I both are. We want to win way more than we want to date.”

Rose nodded. “Good. That’s good.”

Rey frowned; the muscles in her face made a slight protestation, like she wasn’t used to frowning after so much smiling. It was weird, and only spoke to just how happy she was whenever she spent time with him. 

“Everything will be fine,” Rey insisted. “I promise.”

But everything was, in fact, not fine.

Pâtisserie was not Rey’s strongest suit, to start with, but she’d practiced hard all week to do well. And she’d done alright. The Signature bake was to make homemade pop tarts, and she’d done fine. The flavors had been spot on and only one of the dozen she’d had to make was burnt — and it was only right on the corner, just barely.

The Technical challenge was where it all went wrong.

They had to make stroopwafels, which were one of Rey’s favorite treats. She’d never made one because she lacked the essential waffle iron to make them, but now that she had the tools at her disposal, she couldn’t wait to get started. After getting the brief, just after the hosts said “ready, set, bake!” she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Hux. He was at the baking station immediately behind hers again, and she liked that proximity they shared. In the earlier challenge, it had meant she could ask him to taste one of her flavors, because she just wasn’t sure. In return, she’d been able to help him finish plating so he could present all twelve of his pop tarts to the judges.

And now, it meant that Rey was running around frantically in front of him, trying to get the batter all ready to go whilst making the filling for the twelve identical stroopwafels they had to present to the judges, who would evaluate them blindly.

Rey was always frantic when she baked. She ran back and forth and forgot where she put things, but always managed to pull out all the stops in the end. Hux sometimes grumbled at how haphazardly she tended to leave everything; his own workstation was always meticulously well-kept. 

While stirring his caramel filling, Hux noticed out of the corner of his eye that Rey had tripped over something. One of her own dirty dishes, most likely. “You alright?” he asked her without even looking up.

“Yep, thanks,” she replied breathlessly while fishing around for a new saucepan. She’d burned her caramel — _again._

Neither thought anything of it for a few moments. But then Hux poured the first of his batter on the waffle iron and closed it, waited three minutes, and reopened it.

Inside was the same raw batter he’d poured in a few minutes before.

“What the —”

He looked over his workstation to realize that no, Rey hadn’t tripped over her dirty dishes. She’d tripped over the power strip that controlled Hux’s waffle iron, so it had lost all of its heat.

“Fuck.”

He made a move to walk around the workstation and plug it in, but then the realization hit him that he should clean the batter off the waffle iron while it was still cool enough to touch. “Oh no, mate, what happened to your trial waffle?” one of the hosts asked.

Hux glared at her. They only got _one_ test waffle before the rest had to be presented to the judges, no exceptions. “Does this even count? It wasn’t on!” he shouted.

Angrily, Hux wiped the batter from the waffle iron with a rag and then tossed it in the general direction of the bin. “It does, we’re sorry, but here let me help —” the host continued, rushing around to the other side of his workstation.

“What’s going on?” Rey asked in concern, noticing the way Hux’s face was all red and blotchy and he looked rather dangerous. It wasn’t his most attractive look.

Hux fixed her with a glare before turning his attention back to his very raw batter. Everyone else had at least two or three done, at varying levels of perfection. And when they weren’t working on the rest of their dozen stroopwafels, they were staring at Hux and the way he was struggling and cursing his way through the challenge.

The host explained to Rey that the waffle iron had been unplugged, and her whole expression fell. “Oh my god, I’m —”

“Not right now, Rey,” Hux interrupted tersely.

He hovered his hand over the surface of the waffle iron to test the temperature, but it just wasn’t heating fast enough. There was nothing he could do now. The filling was ready, the batter was ready, and it all came down to the iron.

By the time the hosts called times up, Hux only had eight stroopwafel to present, rather than the required twelve. And at least two of them looked very pale — _barely_ cooked.

There was no way he wasn’t going to place last, so when he was named as having the worst product to present during the Technical challenge, Hux just nodded and took it. He couldn’t argue, and even though the hosts had spoken up and let the judges know his iron had been unplugged, the fact of the matter was that his stroopwafel didn’t look even remotely identical. Eight or twelve — the appearance wasn’t consistent. He hadn’t done well _at all._

That evening, Hux sat next to Rey at dinner, but the conversation was stilted and short. There was nothing to say. What was done was done. It was an accident, and Hux just needed time to process that. In the meantime, Rey would just watch him nervously, always chewing on her lip, more apologies at the tip of her tongue. But worse than that, she didn’t know what to say to make it better, or what to talk about to cheer him up.The task seemed almost impossible.

By the time they went upstairs to get some sleep, Hux had endured just about enough of her nervous hovering. “I’m fine,” he said bluntly as they stood in the corridor leading to the rooms.

Everyone else retreated into their own rooms, though Phasma did hover to try to overhear some of the conversation. One well-aimed glare from Hux had her disappearing into her room with an irritating smile on her face. “I just want you to know —”

“That you’re sorry. I _know_ ,” Hux sighed. “And right now, I just need to sleep. There was nothing either of us could have done, but that doesn’t mean I’m _happy_ about it.”

“You want to win, I get it,” Rey insisted. She really just wanted to make it right. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll do really horribly and we can even things out again.”

“Yes, perhaps.”

Rey frowned. She looked a little angry, and Hux knew he shouldn’t be pushing her so far but yet he couldn’t stop himself. He was tired and grumpy and incredibly disappointed with the events of the day. “I just want to sleep.”

“Okay,” Rey nodded. “I’m s—”

“Don’t you dare say it again.”

Rey’s words got caught on her tongue and she didn’t know what else to say or do. She didn’t know, either, whether she was allowed to try to give him a hug or kiss goodnight. She desperately wanted to, so she could convey her apologies some other way, but something told her Hux wouldn’t like that, either.

She teetered on her feet, swaying forward just slightly to make an attempt at even just a kiss on the cheek, but Hux stepped away from her before she had the chance

Rey was disappointed, but she knew it was best to just let it go. Hux would be fine in the morning. Briefly, as she lay in bed, Rey considered purposely screwing something up in the Showstopper the next day to try to make it up to him, but then remembered their earlier conversations. They both wanted to win fair and square — no throwing the competition for the other.

But even knowing that, it was hard for Rey to not make assumptions when she realized that her laminated dough — layers of meticulously rolled and folded dough and cold butter — had been taken out of the fridge she and Hux were sharing and left out on the countertop in the bright English sunlight.

The key to a good laminated dough was to keep it cold as much as possible before putting it in the oven, which was the exact opposite of what had happened to her. And it was very, very hard for her to not assume it was a petty act of revenge.

“Rey, where are your croissants?”

“My erm… my laminated dough got left out on the counter,” she explained, red in the face. 

She’d only been able to present two thirds of the required elements to the judges: twelve beignets, twelve croissants, and twelve pastries of choice.

“That’s not good,” Paul said bluntly. 

Rey winced and nodded.

“Well… I suppose we’ll just have to judge what’s here, then.”

Mary tipped her head to the side and asked, “What happened, that you forgot the dough on the countertop?”

Rey resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. She didn’t want to throw Hux under the bus. If she said anything about it at all, she feared the show would be edited just enough to make Hux look like he was getting revenge. And if there was one thing Rey didn’t want, it was for Hux to be painted as the villain just because he was having a bad day.

“Just stress,” Rey said finally. “I suppose I just let myself get too overwhelmed by the different elements I had going on.”

The hosts exchanged glances, and several of the contestants were looking over at Hux. Rey could tell that Mary and Paul didn’t quite believe her, and the scrutinizing narrowed-eyes gaze from Paul made Rey _almost_ tell the truth, but she bit her tongue. She could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be.

In the end, Rey made it through, but just barely. Unbeknownst to her, the hosts had explained to Paul and Mary during their deliberations that another contestant had taken Rey’s dough out of the fridge, so it really hadn’t been her fault. It was the only thing that had saved her.

Now they had to prepare for the semi-final — It was down to Rey, Hux, Ben, and Phasma. The competition would be the most cutthroat of the entire series so far.

As they left the tent, Rey was pulled away to give an interview. While she was exhausted and felt slightly on the verge of tears, she agreed to do it. It was part of the deal, being on the show, and it also meant she didn’t have to face Hux. It was terrifying, thinking of all the arguments they could get into. They hadn’t exactly had a pleasant exchange the night before, and things had only gotten worse since then. 

“How do you think today’s judging went?” asked a producer.

Rey took a deep breath. “That was almost as bad as desserts week. I’m a bit shocked I’m still here, to be honest.” Rey looked at the camera, her expression a mix of sadness and confusion. “I don’t know how I managed, that actually. Someone had to have said something behind the scenes. I shouldn’t have stayed for not presenting a third of the brief.”

She sighed heavily and adjusted the umbrella over her shoulder. True to form, the grey English skies now rained down upon them — though it hadn’t started until after the sun had melted all the butter in her dough. That would have been too lucky.

That answer seemed to be all the producers were looking for from her — thank God they didn’t want to talk about Hux or the not-revenge he’d taken on her — so Rey stepped away and began the smushy path up the hill. Her boots were worn and she felt a bit of rain trickling down her leg; she couldn’t wait to board her train and warm up a little. The weekend was over, she’d survived pâtisserie week, and now she only faced a few more challenges.

As she trudged through the mud and caught up with the group, Rey wondered what next week would be like. Usually there was more camaraderie between contestants but the format of this season changed things a little. Now it was quiet. None of them really spoke with each other, save for Hux and Rey, and now even that seemed precarious at best.

Rey stepped a bit too confidently on the stone stairs that would lead them to the bus waiting to take them to the train station, and her feet began to slide from underneath her.

Her limbs flailed awkwardly, and for a moment, Rey was sure she was going to slide down all four stairs and end up in a muddy heap on the ground. She’d have to suffer the whole train ride home like that, and it would be miserable.

But then strong arms caught her, steadying her, and she was almost afraid to look up to see who it was.

Before she could even turn her head, she already knew. His tone of voice was unmistakable.

“You should be more careful.”

Rey turned to look at Hux, though his expression didn’t show his usual combination of exasperation and annoyance. His whole gaze was carefully schooled into something neutral, and Rey didn’t quite understand why. He was still upset with her, and rightfully so. He was allowed to show those emotions.

She cleared her throat, and his hands slowly released her waist. A shiver shot down her spine; he was warmer than she’d been expecting. “Sorry. Thanks.”

Rey knew she had no reason to apologize, but she did anyway, because deep down she wanted him back on her side. She missed him, which was ridiculous because just two days earlier they’d been _fine_. They’d kissed, they’d held hands… things hadn’t been weird like they were now.

Hux just nodded, and the rest of the walk to the bus was spent in silence, side by side. 

As they boarded, Rey felt the overwhelming urge to break the silence. He’d kept in stride with her the whole way, and very oddly, she felt she had to compensate for that in some way. If he was going to make an effort after their mishaps in the tent, so could she.

“Good job this weekend,” she said softly. “You really brought it back around today, after yesterday.” She bit her tongue; she desperately wanted to apologize again, but knew he wouldn’t appreciate it.

“Jealous?” quipped Hux, eyeing her without bothering to turn his head.

The corner of Rey’s mouth turned upwards. It felt like they’d started back at the beginning but at least they were speaking without arguing. It was progress. “A little.”

Quite surprisingly, Hux took a seat right next to Rey. And especially after the weekend they’d had, Rey hadn’t expected him to stick around. She was pretty sure whatever they’d built the weeks before had been thoroughly, completely destroyed by their clumsiness in the tent.

He was quiet, and looked calmer than she’d seen him all weekend. He said a lot in his silence. For Rey it was both infuriating and fascinating. After allowing her to stare for a bit, Hux turned to look at her. “Did you not want me to sit here?”

“Huh?”

It wasn’t a graceful response by any means, and Rey cringed as soon as she’d blurted it out. 

“Oh, no. I mean, yes. I — you can sit here.”

Hux raised an eyebrow at her. Rey knew she was usually so put together, and he was probably making several assumptions about why she’d just turned into such a blundering idiot. She took a deep breath and said, “Sorry, I’m just very tired.”

“Do you stare at people often when you’re tired?”

The corner of his mouth quirked upwards in the beginnings of a smile, and that left Rey feeling accomplished, which was probably the silliest feeling she could have had as a result of someone smiling. “I zone out,” she said finally.

He looked completely disbelieving as he sat back in his seat, shaking his head a little. “Smooth,” he said, leaning back against the cushions of the seat.

“I can be,” Rey quipped.

When Hux turned to look at her, Rey noticed amusement in his gaze this time, and she found herself marveling at how she could draw so many emotions out of a man who was usually so stoic — and so soon after their row, too. He was a challenge unto himself, one that Rey was succeeding with almost as well as she was succeeding in the tent. And this time, she wouldn’t let her temper get in the way.

What’s done was done, and there was nothing they could do about it now. Rey could swear up and down she hadn’t meant to unplug the waffle maker — and he probably believed her; he’d seen up close and personal just how clumsy she could be. But it was hard for Rey to work past the croissant thing. She wanted to trust him, to believe that he hadn’t done it on purpose, but when Phasma had asked her after the judging whether she thought Hux did it as an act of retaliation, Rey had hesitated. She wanted to believe that he wouldn’t do it, but… he was competitive, and she _had_ screwed him over the day before. 

But what they had… it was greater than winning, wasn’t it? Rey had thought so, but now she wasn’t so confident. Maybe she just had to talk to Rose. Or maybe Poe would have some advice. And she took comfort knowing Finn would give her the big hug she was yearning for to make it all better.

They could all help, and would hopefully keep any harsher criticisms to themselves. Rey was about to enter the semifinals — _ice cream week_ — so Rey needed as little stress in her life as possible.

Just twenty-four hours prior, Rey would have sworn she’d get a goodbye kiss from Hux at Reading station when they parted ways, but she didn’t. He gave her a curt nod of his head, and then was off on his way. It made her chest ache, and it struck Rey that she had gotten quite attached. Suddenly, Rose’s warning before this weekend made much more sense. 

Though Rey hoped that she and Hux could get back to the blissful state they’d been in on Saturday evening, she knew not to dwell on it. She’d made it to the semi-finals. If she had any hope of making it to the final or better yet — _winning_ — she needed to redouble her efforts and really hone in on her recipes.

Hux was wonderful, but she had to step back. They had time, if they wanted it. What they had didn’t need to end at the end of the competition. But Rey only had two more weeks at the most to prove her baking prowess, and she was determined to do so.

With new resolve, Rey returned home, her focus on perfecting her ice cream skills so she could push through week nine and get all the way to the final. It was time to focus and time to win.

Surely, Hux wouldn’t fault her for that.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Week nine has arrived, and the semifinals are the most challenging in Bake-Off history. Ice cream week in the middle of a warm, beautiful summer is bad news: and one of the remaining four must be sent home to pave the way to the final. Who will make it, and what will that mean for Rey and Hux?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Rebecca for being a really wonderful, encouraging beta. It has been so great working with you! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has given this fic a chance. Only one chapter left to go! Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I do hope this chapter is worth the wait <3

**Semifinals Week (Week 9)**

Preparing for week nine was one of the most difficult things Rey had ever had to do. Unlike many of the other bakers, Rey didn’t make a lot of money. Her cafe job barely paid the bills. In this case, it also meant she didn’t have the funds to purchase an ice cream maker. Shortly before the competition she’d poured all of her money into a nice stand mixer instead.

Her friends, though well meaning, had smiled at her sadly, confessing that they, too, didn’t have the funds to help. So, Rey used store-bought ice-cream and used that while practicing her recipes, and had to hope that everything would go well in the tent when she had to make her own. Anything to do with cold baked goods made her nervous, though — a lot could go wrong.

Needless to say, Rey was feeling a little shaky and nervous as she boarded the train to the tent. Given her inability to fully practice her ice cream recipes, she was already braced and prepared to be sent home that week. But even making it to week nine was an accomplishment, which she’d told herself many, many times over.

True to form, Hux spotted her on their connecting train in Reading and took a seat next to her. He looked tired; he had dark circles under his eyes where he hadn’t in past weeks, and he wore a jumper instead of his usual button-down shirt. Though Rey was concerned by his clear exhaustion, she had to admit that he looked quite good in this casual outfit. Cozy. Like he could give her a really great cuddle.

She offered a small, sympathetic smile as he sat next to her, to which he merely nodded in response. He got settled on the train, and they still hadn’t exchanged words. In fact, they didn’t speak until a full twenty minutes into the train ride. The sudden shift made Rey jump in her seat.

“I brought you something.”

Curiously, Rey turned to Hux, one eyebrow raised. “You did?” She didn’t understand — last she’d seen him, they weren’t exactly on the best terms. A gift didn’t make sense. “Why?”

“To apologize.”

He leaned over, reaching for the bag that sat on the floor by his feet. He rustled around within it until he found whatever it was he was looking for. Rey was frowning; after their previous week, a gift seemed… a lot. Too much, maybe.

A moment later, he was holding out a nondescript looking journal to her. It was leatherbound, the cover tied closed with beautiful leather string to match the cover. The corners had little gold protectors on them, and nothing about it seemed extraordinary, and yet it felt like the most precious gift Rey had received in years.

She reached for it slowly, glancing up at Hux as she did so. “I don’t understand,” she said softly.

Hux waited until Rey held the object in her hands before he explained. “Last week I was very harsh with you, and I shouldn’t have been. Nothing that happened was your fault, and I understand how terrible it must have looked, me leaving your dough out on the counter. I meant to put it back in the fridge after only a second, I swear,” he said solemnly. Rey hoped desperately that the circles under his eyes and the lack of color in his skin wasn’t due to his dwelling upon the weekend before. “And you definitely did not need to protect me from the judges. You could have told them what I’d done, and I wouldn’t have faulted you for it.”

“I didn’t want you to be painted a villain on the telly,” Rey explained softly. “I knew it was an accident.”

Hux’s eyes bore into Rey’s for a moment; the lengths to which she went to protect him was unlike anything anyone else had ever done for him. It rendered him speechless for a moment, his whole rehearsed apology speech forgotten.

He looked down as Rey’s hand drifted over the smooth leather of the book in her hands, and that made it easier to find his words again.

“It’s a travel journal. For when you visit. I hope you still will.”

And though he’d vehemently deny it, Rey knew that Hux had worried about that. Truth be told, she’d considered whether or not it’d still be right to go. Not knowing where she stood with him was a very nerve-wracking situation to be in. 

But this gesture was clear. He wanted her to visit, to see London and spend time with him.

“Of course I still will.”

When she looked up at him, Rey’s chest felt constricted, her lungs seeming to fail her at the sheer amount of worry and stress she could see in his eyes. To most, he’d look just as grumpy and unassuming as always. But his scowls meant different things, and it was his eyes that always gave that away. He was scared to lose her, scared that he had pushed her too far.

“Hux…” Rey reached over, placing her hand gently upon his. “Last weekend is in the past. It was full of a lot of mistakes we didn’t mean to make…” When she realized that they’d also shared their first kiss the weekend before, she hastily added, “In the tent, I mean. Not… other places. That… wasn’t a mistake. I hope.”

Hux shook his head. The kiss most certainly wasn’t a mistake.

“The likelihood that one of us gets sent home this weekend is very, very high,” Rey said, her mind telling her repeatedly that _she_ would be the one sent home, “so let’s just make the most of the time we have left, yeah? No more weirdness.”

“No more weirdness,” Hux affirmed.

As usual, the remaining bakers ate dinner together, but it was more awkward than usual. Phasma and Ben didn’t particularly feel like bringing up the events of the previous weekend, and Hux and Rey still chose not to be open and public with their affection for each other. Not to mention, they hadn’t done anything together physically since before the drama in the tent the weekend before.

It was a tense dinner cut short by plenty of excuses along the lines of _being tired_ or _needing to prepare_ , so they all went their own ways.

As Rey curled up in bed, she heard her phone vibrate on the bedside table. She’d been about to go to sleep — the next day would undoubtedly be exhausting — but couldn’t resist peeking at who it was.

**_Good luck._ **

She didn’t even have to read the name to know who it was. With a smile on her face, she tapped out a reply before plugging in her phone, switching off her light, and going to sleep.

**_You too._ **

——

Predictably, ice cream week in the tent was absolute chaos. Each baker had to make their own ice cream _and_ incorporate it into the rest of the bake. The Signature challenge was to create twelve identical ice cream sandwiches. They could use any flavors and any shapes, but the sandwiches had to have sturdy exteriors — not so moist that they’d melt with the ice cream, but not so crisp that you’d squish the ice cream out whenever you took a bite — and the ice cream had to be correct texture and consistency.

The stakes were high, and Rey felt incredibly underprepared. She hadn’t had a chance to use an ice cream maker, so she had to use purely theoretical knowledge. Rose had helped her Google different machines and how they might work, but Rey had to guess. Everything would be guesswork, and she’d wager that she was the only person who hadn’t practiced with a legitimate ice cream maker.

Her suspicions were confirmed at judging when each baker was asked specifically whether they’d had practice with an ice cream maker. Rey was the only one to say no, but she took every criticism of her ice cream — and there were many — and filed them away. She _had_ to remember what she’d done and make sure not to do that in the next challenge. Maybe she could learn on the fly and turn things around by the Showstopper bake.

Maybe.

She focused very hard on taking down notes on her cell phone so she could look up tips later — doing that overnight was allowed, but between the Signature and Technical it wasn’t — so she’d have to go into the Technical flying blind. But she could do it. She _had_ to do it.

That round was easier. All she had to do was make lemon gelato. Easy, right?

Wrong. It most certainly wasn’t easy, but at least she had a recipe to give her the right ratios of ingredients. The rest was still guesswork, but at least she knew the basics of operating the ice cream machine this time.

She ranked third of four on the Technical challenge, and it’s really not the worst it could have been. But Rey still had to fight to blink back tears and plaster on a smile as she gave the cameras a half-hearted but wholly-hopeful interview about how tomorrow just had to be better.

Beyond the cameras, in Rey’s line of sight, Hux stood on the green with his hands in his pockets. He was waiting for her, but not close enough to overhear what she was saying. After a few moments, Rey was allowed to walk away, and her face gave away everything: she was _not_ happy.

Without paying any mind to whether the crew or other bakers would see, Hux held out his hand to Rey. She needed it, and that was worth all his pride and self-preservation. Gratefully, Rey slipped her hand into Hux’s and they ascended the green towards the manor, happy to be done for the day. 

Hux hadn’t fared much better in either bake — he’d come in second to last in the Signature, and last in the Technical. He and Rey were on equal ground when it came to performance that weekend. Ben and Phasma were neck and neck for first and second place, and Rey and Hux were the ones very likely at risk of being sent home.

Dinner was served buffet-style that evening, and Rey and Hux hung back while Phasma and Ben filled their plates first. They disappeared up to their rooms immediately after, the silence eerie and unnerving. Rey was upset, and she could sense that Hux was, too, but she had no idea why the other two were being so anti-social. 

Rey preferred it, though, especially when Hux wordlessly led Rey towards his room after they’d gathered their own piles of food — not that they could eat much, given their nerves and worry.

Just like the last time she’d been in his room — which, it felt like it had been _forever_ — Rey looked around and wasn’t surprised in the least at just how meticulously the space was kept. Even though he was stressed, he managed to keep his room neat and tidy. His bag wasn’t even unpacked, it just sat on the corner of his bed, to be used later when it was time to get ready for bed. Not that he’d sleep much.

Rey sat across from him at the table, and she felt an odd energy in the room. Given their performance that day, it was even more of a guarantee than they’d thought it was that one of them would be going home that weekend. Rey ate more than Hux, who poked at his food more than he actually bothered to put it in his mouth and eat it.

But she felt better sitting in silence with Hux than she would if she had to eat alone in her room. She wasn’t sure how she’d handle it, not seeing Hux every weekend. She’d grown accustomed to the place he’d formed within her life. Rey wondered if he was going to feel the same.

Hux left half of his food on his plate as he stood to refill his glass with water from the tap in the bathroom. Rey watched him, wondering whether to say something. What would she even say if she _did_?

His eyes met hers as he emerged from the bathroom, and he tipped his head towards the bed in silent invitation. Rey washed down the last bite of food with the water left in her glass as Hux removed his suitcase from the bed. She felt nervous as she approached him, but in a giddy sort of way. Maybe they’d cuddle, but a part of Rey wished they’d do something more.

Rey followed Hux’s lead, keeping a focused eye on him, watching for clues. This was one instance where she wished he would tell her what was on his mind, rather than letting her make inferences. When he toed off his shoes, she copied. When he reached out to drift his lithe fingertips over her waist, Rey encouraged him by resting a hand on his shoulder and stepping closer to him.

Hux’s eyes stayed carefully trained on Rey, watching her like he was worried he’d cross a line. It made Rey’s heart flutter, but she didn’t know what to say to reassure him without sounding desperate for it — though she didn’t even really know what _it_ was, yet.

The moment he placed his other hand at the back of her neck, Rey’s mind went blank. She knew what was to come, and she didn’t want to stop him. She wanted it just as much as he did — maybe even more. Their height difference was glaringly obvious, at _least_ six inches if Rey had to make an estimate, but there was something sweet and romantic about the way she stood up on her tiptoes as Hux leaned over, and somewhere in the middle their lips met.

Hux was gentle with her, tender and sweet, and Rey’s free hand clutched his sweater where it fell against his thin hip. She stepped closer, nearly losing her balance as she stood on the tips of her toes, but couldn’t bring herself to slow down or breathe. His lips felt _perfect_ against hers, and kissing Hux helped Rey forget all the stress and worry of the weekend, of the whole competition. In this moment, nothing else mattered.

With the gentlest of touches, Hux pulled at the thin ponytail holder that held the lowest of the buns at the back of Rey’s head. Her hair fell free around her shoulders, and Hux broke the kiss to comb his hand through her hair, reveling in its softness. Rey watched him with a sparkle in her eyes; somehow, even more intimate than kissing him was Hux slowly letting her hair down and taking his time soaking in the sight. 

She watched him with intrigue as he then turned his attention to the second ponytail holder. This one didn’t slip free as easily, so Rey bit her lip and met his eyes. Slowly, she turned around, giving him better access.

It was electric, letting Hux slowly take her apart like this. Her hair was just the start, or so she hoped. As more of her hair fell free and tickled across her shoulders, Rey smiled for no particular reason. Hux gently coaxed her to turn around, his eyes filled with curiosity and… something else. Rey couldn’t place it. Desire, maybe? Lust?

With the softest of touches, Rey rested her hands on Hux’s shoulders and stood on her tiptoes again. It pleased her greatly when Hux could read her actions and leaned in without a second thought, granting Rey the kiss she yearned for. 

Only this time, it was like a dam breaking. It had been a rough day, and they clearly both cared for each other more than either of them had planned. And now they were alone, behind a locked door, and weeks of talking and flirting and taking care of each other had come to this.

They didn’t hold back this time. It felt like now or never. 

Rey’s hand combed through Hux’s soft red hair, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies together. As he did, he practically lifted her from the ground, drawing a soft laugh from Rey.

Hux turned them so he could sit down on the bed, Rey’s legs parting slightly so she could straddle his lap. Her dress bunched up around her waist and her heart thrummed heavy against her ribcage. She’d dated before, of course, but nothing had ever felt quite like this. Her hands had never gone clammy at the thought of being close in this way with someone. The butterflies hadn’t assaulted her senses quite as much as they did in that moment as she sat upon Hux’s lap, kissing him like it was the last chance she’d ever have.

His touch was just as insistent, but held just as much hesitation, as Rey felt thrumming through her body. Though she wanted to assuage his nerves in some way, she couldn’t fathom how, because she was feeling the very same emotions. 

Words certainly failed her as she leaned away for a breath. His mouth was deep crimson, and he looked up at her with pupils blown as she panted, the curls of her hair rising and falling with each shallow breath she took. Hux’s arms held her strongly around her waist; she felt safe in his embrace, like even if she fell from grace in the competition the next day, he’d keep her from getting hurt.

Weeks ago, she never would have fathomed that he could make her feel such things, but now… it was hard for her to imagine a world in which Hux had no place in her life. He was prickly upon first meeting but after pushing past that cold exterior, he was just a human like everyone else she’d met. Guarded and hesitant, sure, but who wasn’t? Rey understood better than anyone that for someone to behave as Hux did, they had to have been through something difficult. She resisted the urge to act the same way as he did almost every day of her life.

Her mind was still reeling from all the things he was making her feel, all the thoughts he was putting through her mind, and she wanted it all to stop. The corner of Rey’s mouth ticked upwards in a smile as she realized the best way to stop her mind from racing from thought to thought in the way that it was.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and leaned in, bumping their noses before stealing another kiss from him. 

Hux gave in willingly, sliding one arm further around her, his fingers dancing up her spine and settling between her shoulder blades. He was surrounding her, holding her close, and Rey felt so at home in his arms.

She never wanted the night to end.

Though they’d stayed clothed for most of their evening, Rey still felt spent and exhausted when they tumbled against the pillows of Hux’s bed an indeterminable amount of time later. She was happy with just making out with him of course, but the warmth between her legs told her that she would have been quite happy with more, as well. 

Hux spent a few minutes in the bathroom in which Rey chewed on her lip and wondered if she should just see herself out, but when he emerged a few moments later, Hux seemed both surprised and pleased to see that Rey was still there. She felt better about her decision, and liked knowing that just seeing her could make him happy.

“Hi,” he said as he approached the bed.

“Hello,” Rey responded, crossing her legs at the ankles as she stayed reclined against the pillows of his bed.

“That was nice.”

Rey’s cheeks were hot. She nodded. “Yes, it was.”

He climbed onto the bed next to her, lifting one arm pointedly to coax her into lying in his embrace. As she rested her head upon his chest, Rey could hear how fast Hux’s heart was beating. She marveled at the effect she could have on him. 

As she yawned, Rey had the realization that she felt so at home in Hux’s presence. She knew it was a risky thing to do while they were technically competitors, but it was so close to the end that there was no use in overthinking things now. “You know,” Rey said sleepily. “I might fall asleep like this.”

“Well, you could,” Hux replied.

He made it sound like it was the simplest thing in the world, just deciding to sleep in his room with him. “What would Ben and Phasma think?”

“Who cares what they think,” Hux said. He made it sound so simple. Maybe it was. “If you want to stay, you can stay.” He paused. “I’d like you to stay.”

Rey smiled, and though she knew Hux couldn’t see it, she could sense his relief as soon as he’d said it and she hadn’t freaked out. “Alright then,” Rey agreed. “But if that’s what I’m going to do, we should get under these blankets. This manor gets awfully cold at night.”

“True.”

Though she’d barely been nestled up against him for more than a couple of minutes, Rey was still unhappy to have to separate herself from him, even if only for a few minutes. She felt giddy, and a little bit like she was breaking the rules, as she helped Hux set aside the half a dozen throw pillows on the bed and peel back the duvet. Hux was as meticulous about getting ready for bed as he was in most other aspects of his life, from what Rey could tell.

She wore her dress, which would be appropriate to sleep in, but Hux couldn’t very well wear his khakis to bed. Rather than bothering to change into something else, Hux pulled off his khakis and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving just his undershirt and boxer briefs on as he climbed into bed. Before she got under the blankets, Rey had the realization that she’d have to wear her dress again the next day, and it’d be awfully wrinkled if she wore it to bed. They had to wear the same clothes all weekend for consistency in the episodes, for viewers.

“I should probably —”

“It’s alright,” Hux interjected. “I can always get you a shirt if you’d like. I have another undershirt in my bag.”

“It’s alright,” Rey said.

Her cheeks blushed deep crimson. Deep down, she really, truly wanted this. Besides, she always wore shorts beneath her dresses, for practicality. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to multiply as she pulled the cotton dress up and over her head in one swift move. The cool air of the room spread goosebumps all over her arms and her exposed stomach. She wore a plain sensible sports bra and some black shorts — surely Hux had seen women in far fewer clothes than this. It wasn’t a big deal.

She felt his eyes on her, heavy and full of desire, as she climbed into bed next to him. Their legs were bare and brushed beneath the blankets as they got settled, and it was an unusual new sensation. Rey curled up against Hux’s side, her ear to his chest again, and his heart was still racing. She knew hers ran a pace to match. This was new and exciting and even though they hadn’t gone all the way, it felt almost as exhilarating just getting to this point.

Hux switched off the lamp next to the bed, plunging them into darkness, and for a few moments, there was nothing but silence.

But a question was nagging at Rey’s mind and she had to ask — she had to _know_. “You told me a few weeks ago that you don’t like getting close to people,” she said. Hux hummed to let her know that he was listening. “Well… you said it was because of the competition, but given what we’ve been doing lately…” She trailed off and tried to find her words, the right ones to say without upsetting Hux too much. “What’s the _real_ reason?”

If he hadn’t taken a deep breath and begun tapping his fingertips on her shoulder, Rey might have assumed Hux had fallen asleep. But he was awake, and he seemed to be at the very least considering her question rather than dismissing it. 

“I want to preface this all by saying that I’m not some tragic, damaged person,” Hux began. “I’m not looking for pity.” Rey nodded to acknowledge him. “I was close with my parents, and then we grew apart. I was close with my friends in college, but after that when they all started families and jobs that didn’t repulse so many people, they were so quick to dismiss me. It’s true that at the time I said that, I didn’t want to get close to anyone in the competition out of fear that it would harm my chances of winning. But you were different.” Rey was quiet as she processed, and as she let Hux have a moment after opening up to her so willingly. 

Quietly, he said one more thing. “I knew the moment I met you that you weren’t going to abandon someone you were close with. I don’t know why, but I just _knew_.”

Rey smiled, grateful that Hux couldn’t see the sadness in her eyes. But it wasn’t out of pity for him, like he’d worried it might be. No, it was her own sadness, bubbling forth. He’d been vulnerable with her, so she was going to do the same for him.

“I understand,” she said softly. “The feeling of being easy to leave? I’ve worried about that for years. Ever since my parents died.”

“But clearly you’re not,” Hux said. He rubbed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “Your friends seem quite fond of you, from what you’ve told me.”

“They are,” Rey agreed. “But even so. They’re all American. What if one day they all decide to go back to their families? They swear they never will, but… the fact of the matter is, they could, and I worry every day that they _will_. That being here will become too much and they’ll have to choose to say goodbye to me.”

Hux was quiet, but Rey didn’t worry. She knew that silence, when Hux was around, it wasn’t a bad thing. He was intentional about everything he did — including what he said. She would wait, and it wouldn’t hurt.

“Your parents didn’t leave you intentionally,” Hux reminded her. “At least, I don’t think they did, given what you’ve told me. Right?” Rey nodded. “None of your family left you on purpose. And my impression of your friends is that _if_ — and this is a very big ‘if,’ Rey — _if_ they left, it would be for a very, very important reason. You have nothing to worry about.”

Rey, very softly, asked, “Not even you?”

Again, Hux was quiet. It was a heavy question, one Rey didn’t expect an immediate answer to. In fact, she was happier with the fact that he had to take a few minutes to figure out how to respond. 

“If either of us has reason to worry, it’s me,” Hux said finally. “You have the world at your fingertips, and a heart of gold. You could do much better than me.”

Rey smiled in spite of herself. She looked up at Hux, drawing his attention. When he looked down, Rey pressed the softest of kisses to his plush, red lips. “You may be right,” she agreed. As she settled into his embrace once more, this time hooking one of her legs over his beneath the blankets, she said, “but I’m quite happy with you, thanks.”

Hux said nothing more, but Rey didn’t expect him to. They’d had a heavy conversation — the night had taken a turn neither had expected — but somehow it only left Rey feeling more settled and at ease than she’d expected before stepping into the last challenge. 

She was ready for whatever came next. Finals round or no. London or no. She was happy, and Hux seemed to be, too, and Rey couldn’t really ask for more.

——

Rey went into the tent on Sunday feeling sufficiently nervous, but far more relaxed than she might have otherwise felt thanks to spending the night with Hux. There was only so much Rey could do. She hadn’t studied up as much on making ice cream as she’d hoped to do, but that was okay. Hux gave her some advice, and now Rey could only do her best and hope it would be enough to keep her.

Though, at this point, she would be perfectly content going home and letting Hux battle it out with Ben and Phasma for the final accolade in the last episode. She’d gotten twice as far as she’d ever thought she would, and the relationship she’d formed with Hux was above and beyond what she could have anticipated from the competition, so all in all, Rey was content. She was good. She was ready to go home, if the judges thought it was time.

And that resolution, that settled feeling in her chest, made stepping into the tent that morning _much_ easier than it would have felt otherwise. Rey was going to do her best, and that was that. 

It was time to put everything she had into this Showstopper challenge.

She’d practiced at home of course, but just like with the other challenge, there was only so much preparation Rey could do when she didn’t have an ice cream maker and was bracing for ice cream week. But she was ready to make her ice cream cake — all five layers of it. They were only required to make a cake with three layers, but Rey knew that if she had any chance of staying, she had to pull out all the stops.

She had the station across the walkway from Hux, so they weren’t working in as close proximity as they were used to. But when Rey fumbled with the first bowl of ice cream mixture, pressing buttons in a desperate attempt to get the machine to do what she wanted, Hux left his station to rush across and help.

“This one, remember?” he said to her softly, pressing the button he’d told her the night before was the right setting to use for sorbet.

Rey nodded, feeling a little frazzled, but flashed him her best smile before he retreated back to his own station.

She had her sponges cooking in the oven, and she had the first of two flavors of ice cream — _sorbet_ , rather, which was entirely within the guidelines of the brief — in the machine. Now, she had to make the second mixture as well as create the mixture for the thick, rich chocolate brownie layer she wanted in the center of her cake.

As she wiped the sweat from her brow, Rey briefly thought to herself that she wished she hadn’t gone so overboard on her recipe.

But she had to do everything she could in an attempt to stay in the competition. There was nothing else she could do than her very best. Rose, Poe, and Finn had all encouraged her to add more to the recipe every time they’d tested it for her. So she’d ended up with a five-layer ice cream cake. 

The question now was whether she could pull it off.

After four grueling hours of baking, each baker was instructed to put their cake in the freezer and step off set to prepare for the judging round.

This was always the most tedious part. While the crew worked fastidiously to clear the baking stations and make the tent look neat and tidy for judging, the bakers got to sip some tea and catch their breath.

Rey sat next to Hux, and neither of them said a word as they poured themselves some tea. Rey added cream and sugar to hers, and Hux added just cream. Sitting back on a bench together, they enjoyed each other’s company wordlessly. They were good at doing that.

Finally, Hux spoke. “You did fantastic today.”

Surprised by his declaration, Rey looked up with an eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“Yes.” He nodded and sipped his tea. “I didn’t taste it, but your ice cream looked to be the perfect consistency, and the decorations were perfect.”

“We’re not going to talk about how long it took me to perfect fondant flowers,” she grumbled.

Hux laughed. “Well, however much time you spent on them was just enough. They looked great.”

“Yes, but you’ve made ice cream. Even if mine _looked_ good, it may not taste good,” Rey said. She gave him a pointed look, silently warning him not to argue. “Those flowers I made could very well be overshadowed by a perfect ice cream.”

“Well,” Hux said, taking another sip of tea. “I guess we’ll find out soon.”

They both knew, having seen Ben and Phasma’s ice cream cakes, that it was definitely going to come down to one of them going home. Hux and Rey had done poorly enough the day before that nothing was going to save both of them now. Not when the other two bakers had outperformed them in literally every challenge of Ice Cream Week.

So, together they sat, facing the judges and hosts as the cameras got set up. Rey clutched Hux’s hand in her own, and she was surprised by just how at peace she felt with the realization that she was probably going home. She expected it, and would be shocked if anything else happened but her own elimination.

True to form, the hosts announced star baker first. It was apparently neck and neck, but Phasma took the crown. 

Then, it was time for the moment everyone dreaded — the moment they would learn who was going to be sent home and would not make it to the final.

“As you all know, this gets more and more difficult with each passing week,” said the blonde host. “And sadly I’ve drawn the short straw. This week, I’ll be announcing who will not be joining us for the finale next weekend.” 

Rey’s hand was cold and clammy as she clutched Hux’s. He squeezed her hand reassuringly — or perhaps he was looking for reassurance of his own. Either way, one of them was about to hear their name. One syllable, so close to the final and yet so far from it at the same time.

“Mary and Paul had quite a tiff when trying to decide who was going to be the third to stick through until the end, and after much deliberation and consideration of not just today’s bakes, but all the bakes from the very first weekend up until now, they were finally able to make their decision.”

Rey bit her lip; drawing it out was only making things more difficult for her. Whatever happened to _Bake-Off_ being decidedly _less_ cutthroat and painful than American baking shows? It certainly didn’t feel that way as she sat atop an uncomfortable stool, waiting to hear her name.

It had to be her name, especially after hearing that all bakes leading up to that point had been considered in this elimination process. 

“It is with great, great sadness that I have to tell you all that the person who will not be joining us for the final is…”

Rey looked down, squeezing her eyes shut and holding Hux’s hand almost painfully tight. She was ready. It was time. She’d made it much further than she’d ever thought she would.

“Hux.”

Rey’s eyes went wide, and for a moment she didn’t know what to do or say. She kept holding Hux’s hand, of course, but she didn’t look over, or up. She stared off at the mark on the floor upon which one of the hosts stood, and she tried to wrap her head around what had just happened.

It wasn’t her. That wasn’t her name.

 _Hux_ was being sent home.

By the time Rey registered what was going on, Hux was already accepting a farewell handshake and some vague reassurances from Paul, whilst Mary stood by to encourage Hux not to give up. Phasma stood close, too, patting Hux’s shoulder as he spoke with Mary and Paul.

Off to the side, Ben stood awkwardly with his hands shoved in his pockets, and Rey… she didn’t know what she could do.

Paul said something to her about having one final chance to pull out all the stops, but… she couldn’t focus on that. Nor could she focus on the hug and the smile of encouragement granted to her by Mary Berry.

No, all Rey could focus on was how in the _world_ she was supposed to talk to Hux, or how she could possibly make it better if she couldn’t find the words.

They still had plans for her to visit, but she’d clearly been chosen over him to stay in the competition. Sure, they’d said it wasn’t going to bother them, but was that really true? They hadn’t been in the situation until now.

“Rey…”

She looked up at the sound of her name, and she had no idea what to say as her eyes met Hux’s. Her heart ached, like it’d been wrung out in her chest, twisted and mangled as she tried desperately to fathom what he must be feeling. She didn’t know how to make it better.

Instead of speaking, Rey opted for lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist in what she hoped was a comforting embrace. She ducked her head, tucking it beneath his chin, hands clutched at the back of his button-down shirt.

“It’s alright,” he whispered against her hair. 

Rey breathed in his scent and tried to calm down. If anyone had a right to be upset, it was Hux. She was making it through to the final — she shouldn’t have tears welling in her eyes, and he most certainly shouldn’t be the one comforting her.

“I’m so sorry.”

Her words were muffled against his chest, and she was pretty sure the microphones hadn’t picked up on what she’d said, but she _did_ know that Hux heard her, and she was glad for it. 

“Don’t be.”

He shook his head and when he leaned down to speak to her, his mouth brushed her forehead. As it did, he pressed the softest of kisses to her temple. The gesture was enough to draw Rey’s attention and bring her to look up at him.

“I’ll be fine,” he said. He looked so calm, so at peace with the whole situation. Rey marveled; had their roles been reversed, she’s not sure she could say the same, even if she’d already told herself she’d be sent home. “You made it through. You earned it. You should be happy.”

“But —”

“I’ll be fine,” Hux repeated. 

Rey took a deep breath. He was right, of course, and she could see it in his eyes. He was settled in the decision the judges had made, and he appeared to be perfectly content that Rey was going to be the one to go on to the final.

But for all of Hux’s optimism and efforts to cheer her up, Rey just couldn’t bring herself to perk up. She’d enjoyed their blooming relationship, still marveled at the way they’d grown and changed in the past few weeks. He’d opened up to her and trusted her. Rey had let herself be vulnerable around him. They’d both confided in the other and found a home away from home in each other’s presence.

And now, with the highest-stakes weekend lying ahead of her, Rey had to go in without her support. Sure, he had confidence in her skills, but knowing that wasn’t quite the same as sharing a glance across the tent, or having him rush over to help her with something.

The thought of facing a weekend in the tent without Hux was a terrifying one. Not because she’d grown to be co-dependent upon him, but because being in the tent was practically synonymous with spending time with Hux, at this point. The tent without him would feel odd and unbalanced. She didn’t have to experience it to know it would be true.

But she’d have to do it anyway. Making it to the final was a massive achievement, and the judges had chosen her for a reason.

Ben and Phasma stopped to congratulate Rey and shake Hux’s hand, but Rey really wanted them to go away so she could have some time alone with Hux. He said he was okay, but Rey worried that he was just putting on a brave face.

As they walked into the manor to gather their things and get ready to go, Hux held Rey’s hand and they didn’t speak. Rey didn’t know what to say.

When the door clicked closed, Rey turned to him but Hux spoke before she could get her worries out.

“I’m going to be fine, Rey. I made it further than I thought I would and besides… your ice cream cake was a work of art,” he said. He spoke simply, in a matter-of-fact tone that made it very difficult for Rey to come up with an argument. 

“I just —”

“We have one week until London. In the meantime, you are going to go back to Wolverhampton, and you’re going to practice the recipes for the final, and when you come back here next weekend you are going to do your very best to win.”

Rey frowned. “I know, but —”

Hux slid his hand away and crossed the room to his bags. Slowly, he packed up the few items he’d left on various surfaces of the room. Rey crossed her arms as she watched. She wanted to be so angry at him for being so casual; how was he not more affected by being sent home? She would have been devastated if she were in his shoes.

“We knew this was coming,” he reminded her.

“I know.”

Hux closed his suitcase and took a moment to close it, nothing but the sound of the zipper to break the silence. When he turned to face Rey, he saw those unshed tears brimming in her eyes again.

“What’s this really about?” he asked.

Gently, he set his suitcase down on the floor and crossed the room to Rey again. She took a deep breath and tried desperately to stop getting so emotional. She _always_ did this and she hated it. But this wasn’t like past weekends — this was something else entirely.

Rey shrugged. “I guess I’m just…”

Hux was quiet, patient. He let Rey take her time as she made sense of her thoughts and tried to put them to words.

“I’m going to miss this,” she said weakly. “And I’m… afraid.”

The silence swelled around them, thick and heavy. Rey looked down at the floor, conscious of the way Hux’s eyes bore into her, trying to make sense of her.

“I may be out of the competition, but I’m not going away forever… unless you decide that’s what you want.”

Rey shook her head almost frantically. “That’s not what I want.”

“Then you have no reason to be afraid.”

Hux made it sound so simple. It was unfair, Rey thought, because she felt like her whole chest was going to burst with all the emotions she felt. She worried what would come of their relationship, and whether she’d be able to hold her own in the competition against Ben and Phasma next week, and what was going to happen after the final and London — the only two guaranteed times Rey would ever see him.

“You’ve had a very rough day,” Hux said after a moment. “Let’s get your bags and get on the bus. The sooner you can get home and rest, the sooner you’ll start to feel better.”

Rey nodded, opting not to argue with Hux, and together they silently retreated down the hallway to her room to gather her things. They didn’t speak — neither knew what to say. 

As soon as they’d taken their seats on the bus, Rey reached over for Hux’s hand and wove her fingers between his. She rested her head upon his shoulder and in silence, the two of them rode to the train station. 

Though he hadn’t said as much, Rey knew that Hux was really struggling with being eliminated from the competition. For as big and brave as he liked to pretend he was, he’d been just as invested in this — maybe even more. He’d been using his mother’s recipes, baking foods that were close to his heart, foods that were memories of a woman he’d never be able to see again. And this week, those recipes weren’t enough to keep him in the competition.

Rey worried about him, wondered what he was thinking, but didn’t know how to ask. Everything felt fragile again.

The train ride went the same way, with Rey pointedly ignoring the way Ben watched them, eyes lingering on their joined hands between them.

Seated on the train, Hux pulled out his phone and plugged in his headphones, a gesture Rey had seen many times before they’d begun to talk and things had bloomed between them. Had they regressed? Was her moping too much for him?

A little insulted, Rey sat up, mouth open as though were about to admonish him. But then Hux offered her one of the earbuds, and Rey promptly snapped her mouth closed. Her scowl turned to confusion, and Hux kept a carefully blank gaze fixed upon her as he waited. Very slowly, she took the proffered earbud and placed it in her ear before lying her head on his shoulder once again.

The soothing acoustic sounds of a band Rey had never heard before lulled her into an exhausted half-sleep for the ride to Reading. 

Her heart ached when the train began to approach the station, and she looked up at Hux wordlessly. She didn’t know what to say, or what she could do to make anything better. It all felt so hopeless.

“Now, when you get home, text me your recipes, okay?” Hux said.

“I will,” Rey replied. She nodded dutifully and looked up at him. “And you have to be honest about whether you think they’re good enough.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I always give full honesty, you know that.”

“I do,” she agreed.

“And you know what to pack?” he continued. “My apartment is fairly cold, so you’ll probably want to pack in preparation for that. But we’ll be outside… so a jacket, probably. Umbrella, too.”

Rey smiled for the first time in hours, a small laugh escaping her lips. “I’ve grown up in England, too, you know. I’m aware of the rain.”

Hux looked at her smugly, and Rey realized a moment too late that he’d prattled on about the rain purely to get her to smile. She shook her head and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, but Hux was unwavering. He’d succeeded, and there was nothing she could do about it.

They took their time deboarding the train, and took even more time still on the platform between trains. Hux had to board one that would take him to Paddington Station, whereas Rey needed to go back to Wolverhampton. 

Bags stood by their feet, Rey looked up at Hux, their hands dangling at their sides, fingers lazily entwined. “So, I’ll see you next week, then?” he asked.

“Yes,” Rey nodded, though her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she remembered that he wouldn’t be baking — he’d only be there for the celebration on the final day.

“You can do this,” he insisted. “Text me when you get home and pick your recipes, alright?”

“I will,” Rey said. She looked up at him. “Have a safe trip back.”

“You too.”

The conductor shouted last call for passengers to Wolverhampton, reluctantly drawing Rey away from Hux and towards her train.

She didn’t remember most of the journey, her mind too focused on the weekend ahead and how on earth she was going to attempt to win. Phasma and Ben were both formidable opponents. They were consistently the front-runners and always performed better than Rey. She should consider herself lucky to have made it to the final, this she knew, but she’d wished since around week five that she would be able to face the final with Hux.

But on the other hand, facing the final _with_ him would mean this same feeling of conflict and guilt for making it further than he did, but magnified because it was _The Final_. Maybe it was better for both of them that one left at the semifinal.

Before she could really decide how she felt about it, the train was rolling into Wolverhampton and it was time to face the day. She knew that Rose, Finn, and Poe would all be waiting on the platform for her, and she was going to have to tell them everything.

God, the thought of that was painful.

But there was no avoiding it. Rey gathered her things from the train and slowly made her way across the platform and to the doors into the entry hall. Sure enough, there stood her friends, all looking hopeful and excited.

Their faces fell when they spotted her, and Rey knew that it was awful of her to be so deceptive. But she found it hard to smile, even still. She was determined to try, and she knew that whether she won or lost in the final, she’d get to spend a full, lovely, luxurious week with Hux in London, but that didn’t mean she had to _smile_.

“Oh no,” Rose cooed.

“Rey…” Finn began.

Poe reached out for her to wrap her up into a hug. Nestled against his chest, Rey took a deep breath. “I made it to the final,” she said, her voice trembling barely above a whisper.

“What!?” Finn exclaimed. Rose’s eyes went wide.

“I’m competing next week,” Rey added. 

Rose clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling an excited squeal. “Rey, that’s great!” Poe said happily, wrapping his arms a little tighter around her.

“But if you made it, why do you look so—”

Rose smacked Finn in the stomach and hissed under her breath, “Someone she likes probably _didn’t_ make it.”

Finn rubbed the spot where Rose smacked him, trying to ease some of the pain, and looked up at Rey. His brow was furrowed up in concern, and he asked, “Is that true, Rey? Did Hux get sent home?”

She nodded, slowly extricating herself from Poe. Standing up straight and tall, Rey brushed out wrinkles in her clothes that weren’t really there and tried her very best to regain her composure. For all the mixed emotions, she had a job to do this week, and that job was to master the recipes that could win her the competition.

“I’m sure he’s alright,” Rose insisted. “If what you tell me is true, he’s a tough guy.”

“He is,” Rey agreed.

“See? Then you have nothing to worry about.”

Rey shrugged. She still worried about him, though she knew it was probably silly to do such a thing. Hux was far stronger than she was, at least emotionally. Admittedly, Rey would wager that she’d be the one to win if the bets were on physical strength, instead.

“Well, we’re all really proud of you, Rey,” Poe said as he took the handle of her suitcase and began wheeling it to the car for her. “You’re gonna do great next weekend, I can feel it.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Let’s be realistic. Tell us about the other competitors and then we’ll give a fair judgment.”

Rey laughed in spite of herself, and let herself indulge them. As she talked about Ben and Phasma, she kept every judgment objective, trying to give them a fair pile of information to draw from. Even still, Poe and Finn insisted that Rey was going to win. Rose said it sounded like an even match.

Somehow, neither opinion instilled Rey with much confidence.

As she washed the weekend’s competition away under the warm spray of the shower, Rey thought back to how she’d handled things after the judges had made their decision. She hated how emotional she got — not just that day, but every time she was upset — because what right did she have to do that, really? It was Hux’s elimination. It was sad for him. But Rey got to stay another week. She stepped out of the shower feeling guilty, and she couldn’t stop wondering whether he was really okay.

Once she was wrapped up in a cozy hoodie and some leggings, Rey pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest; they’d never spoken on the phone before, they’d only texted back and forth.

“Rey? Is everything alright?”

She laughed. Of course he’d go directly to that, skipping over any pleasantries like hello.

“I should be asking you that,” she said softly. “I’m sorry I made it all about me, and that I got so mopey.” Rey bit her lip, holding back a long, whiny rant that she’d gone over in her head at least a dozen times while she dressed and brushed through her hair.

“I’m alright,” he said again, but his voice sounded heavy. He didn’t sound alright.

“Are you sure?”

The pause on the line reminded Rey of all the times they’d sat together on the train but not spoken; somehow, silence said as much as words when they were together. There was no noise on Hux’s end of the line, and Rey knew her room was dead silent, too. Patiently, she waited.

“No.”

She pressed her eyes closed, took a deep breath, and nodded. Just as she’d expected. Now it was her turn to let Hux have a moment. Suddenly, the distance between them felt much larger than it really was — unbearable, almost — because there was nothing she could do but sit on the line and breathe with him, let him know that he didn’t have to be alone.

Rey wondered if it would have been silly of her to change her ticket home, to go into London with him to be sure he was alright. She had the fleeting thought that he probably would have gone to Wolverhampton for her, if she’d needed him. If she’d asked. 

They’d only been together a few weeks. This was silly, getting so attached. Being so in tune. Wanting to see each other. But Hux was the first man for whom Rey had felt these kinds of feelings. The intensity was new. The tightness in her chest was new. Suddenly, she found herself wishing she could just be there to hold his hand and make him feel better. She just —

“I miss you.”

His exhale was heavy, audible. Rey hoped it wasn’t exasperation. Talking on the phone was so mysterious, like that. There was a shuffling on the line, like he was switching the phone from one ear to the other, and then she heard him take a breath. 

“I miss you, too.”

More silence, but no unease. Rey was flooded with relief, and she took a moment to revel in the fact that they felt the same. That they wanted the same things.

“I almost asked you to come with me.”

Rey bit her lip. The very thing she’d been thinking about, he had been, too. They were on the same wavelength, more in tune than she’d even known.

“I would have.”

Another shuffling on the line. “I know.”

Rey took a deep breath, noticing the way it trembled ever so slightly. Why was she nervous? Or emotional? She had to stop doing that. But the settled feeling within her, the comfort deep in her chest — in her _heart_ — told her this wasn’t a bad tremble. This was relief. Acceptance. Something new and unexplored.

“Tell me more about what you have planned for my visit,” Rey prompted. It was all she could think to say to distract him from the events of the past weekend.

His demeanor changed the more he talked about London, until Hux didn’t sound nearly as upset as he had when she’d first rung him. Though they were miles and miles apart, Rey had still managed to cheer him up.

It felt like yet another massive milestone for them. One of the first in what Rey found herself hoping was a long, long line of milestones that they’d share.

They didn’t ring off until the wee hours of morning, when Hux yawned every other sentence or so, and eventually begged off to get some rest before work the next morning. Reluctantly, Rey bid him goodnight. Though she didn’t feel tired, the moment she laid down under the covers she knew that she was exhausted through to her bones.

But Monday would bring the most intense Bake-Off preparations yet, and Rey wasn’t yet sure how to tackle them. Her friends were her support group, and now Hux was, too, and win or lose Rey knew she had a stellar time ahead of her. No matter what happened in the Final, Rey would get a full week in London with Hux, and that would get her through the next week. That’s what she focused on, and that was all it took to help her relax and fall into a deep, deep sleep.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Week ten of _The Great British Bake-Off_ ensues, and after that, Rey gets her London adventure with Hux.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... you maybe noticed that I changed the number of chapters this will have in total. That's right -- one more installment after this one. I promise you it will be worth the wait! 
> 
> In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter, the culmination of the _Bake-Off_ portion of Rey and Hux's journey. :)
> 
> Thanks, as always, to Rebecca, my wonderful beta.

****

**The Final (week 10)**

When Rey showed up at the tent, there was a wistfulness in her chest that she couldn’t shake. Phasma had given her a kind half-smile on the train, but Ben’s expression stayed neutral. They were competitors — and likely the least friendly towards each other that the show had ever seen. Rey knew Ben hadn’t meant any offense by it — they had a neutral ground between them, comforting each other only during the toughest of eliminations, but otherwise staying to themselves. But it still stung. Rey didn’t have anyone to talk to.

The manor was eerily silent upon their arrival, and all she could think about whether her recipes would be good enough, and what would greet her at the end of the final weekend. No matter what happened, she’d have London, and she’d have Hux.

Hux.

After she’d called him Sunday night, Rey had texted Hux every day to get his opinions on her recipes. She’d make the final decisions on her own, of course, but when she’d pitched the idea of making a double chocolate strudel, he shut the idea down completely.

“The chocolate will retard the rise in the strudel dough,” he’d said when Rey called him with slight frustration. “Not to mention, you’re better with your fruit flavors. Have you considered fig or plum?”

So, Rey had tried a few recipes — plum won out, along with a nut-filled strudel that Poe and Finn had absolutely devoured. With her Signature bake ready to go, Rey then had four days to focus on her Showstopper. It had to be good — no, _great_ — it had to put Phasma and Ben’s bakes to shame. She was still determined to win this competition for herself, but now she had the added motivation of winning for Hux, too.

Rey knew she was messier in the kitchen than both of them, and more often than not, she was the only one of the three of them who’d been known to frantically flit about the baking station, barely making the deadline. But if her bakes tasted good, none of that would matter. If she could assemble flawless strudels and complete the showstopper challenge without a flaw, she would win, no matter what the Technical was.

The Showstopper was what she was most worried about: a three-tiered centerpiece cake with not one, not two, but _four_ dozen petit-fours to adorn it. Each dozen had to be something different: twelve pastries covered in fondant or icing, twelve savory pastries, twelve biscuit pastries, and twelve of any variety that the bakers would choose. And to make these, the bakers only had four and a half hours.

That was a whole hour and a half less than Rey had been able to do it in at home. She’d made Rose ruthlessly time her, staying out of her way while counting down hour by hour, and then by minutes for the last bit, but Rey had never been able to do it. She was too frantic, and no amount of balancing her time was going to save her.

It was an absolute nightmare, but Rey had to hope that the chart Rose helped her put together would help. Rose scheduled her down to 5 minute increments, and Rey was going to do everything she could to stick to it. She knew she would have to be ruthless.

Saturday morning, Rey woke up at the crack of dawn, knots in her stomach. All she could stomach for breakfast was a cup of tea and half a croissant, though admittedly that was more than she’d expected. Dressed in a beige long-sleeved shirt and some dark denim overalls, Rey dressed for comfort, trying to make things feel as normal as possible. She was just going to bake. It was nothing she hadn’t done before.

Or so she kept telling herself as she walked across the green with Ben and Phasma, comically short as she stood between them. Paul and Mary were kind, as always, and with aprons on, the final three stood at their baking stations and received the brief. Twenty-four strudels, two flavours. That’s what it would come down to.

Though they weren’t officially ranked in the Signature round, Rey felt as though she was safe. She’d gotten good feedback on her strudels, particularly the fig strudels which Mary had lauded as the best strudels she’d ever had.

Rey was hopeful.

But then the Technical challenge was announced, and Rey remembered when competitors of the past had to make the very same thing, with many disastrous results: opera cake. It had to be pristine. Coffee-soaked sponges, almond buttercream, a mirror glaze chocolate on top. Layers upon layers of each of these succulent flavors, all accented with simple cursive lettering spelling out ‘opera’ on top, and perfectly cut edges to show everyone who ate the cake just how many perfect, even layers there were.

Everything about the recipe presented Rey with a challenge. Sure, she could be neat and tidy if the moment called for it, but her style was usually haphazard but delicious. That she could do, and she could do it well. Perfection was difficult for her.

But try she must, and she would.

She ended up ranking second in the technical challenge, behind Phasma’s first place. Poor Ben, though he had the layers, had crumbly imperfect edges and his cursive was atrocious. The whole way back to the manor, he grumbled to Phasma and Rey about how disappointed he was — he’d studied calligraphy in school, both as a hobby and also for credit towards his art degree — but somehow he’d managed to completely fuck up.

“We were all a little shaky,” Rey offered, hoping it would help.

Her own cursive lettering had been riddled with squiggles thanks to her trembling hands. It was little consolation to Ben, who retreated up to his room without a look back.

Rey, however, was starving. She hadn’t eaten more than a few bites all day, when they’d tasted each other’s strudels. So, she walked with Phasma to the dining room where a small platter of bangers and mash had been placed for them. They ate quietly, and Rey peeked at her phone from time to time. Hux had asked her how the day went, and Rey had answered very honestly, the whole time.

Though the Technical _should_ feel like a victory to her, it really didn’t. She’d wanted to place first. If she’d done that, she wouldn’t feel quite so much pressure going into the next day. But she’d fumbled ever so slightly and not gotten the shine on the chocolate glaze on top, and Mary and Paul had both been disappointed.

“What does Hux think of the day’s results?”

Rey looked up quickly, startled by Phasma’s voice and more — startled by her insinuation. Her cheeks red, Rey shook her head. “I don’t —”

“Rey,” Phasma cooed, her voice soft and gentle. She looked a little like she pitied her. “We all know you two are together. We’ve seen it for weeks.”

“We haven’t — I mean —”

“If you _had_ ,” Phasma said, “we don’t need to know that detail. But whether you have or haven’t done that shouldn’t matter. You like him. He likes you. You’re together. Easy.”

Rey took a drink of mead to soothe her nerves. She took a deep breath after she swallowed, and then looked up at Phasma. “Fine. Yes, we’re dating,” Rey conceded. “We tried to keep it secret so it wouldn’t be weird.”

“You could have told us,” Phasma said. “To be honest, it was probably weirder having to pretend we didn’t see you two acting disgustingly sweet than it would have been to just tell us and have us deal with a couple in the cast.”

Rey sighed. “We’ve been taking our time. This is really new, for both of us.”

Phasma smiled, and this time the judgment on her face was gone, replaced with a calm smile. Her eyes were _so blue_ , Rey realized. Everything about this woman was striking, from her blue eyes to her platinum hair to her crimson red lips. “We could tell, but that’s alright. It’s sweet.”

“It is?”

“Yes,” Phasma nodded. “Honestly, all of these weeks you could have been capitalizing on being _Bake-Off_ ’s Cutest Couple… what a waste,” she chuckled.

Rey’s face was still bright red, but she felt a little better. “So tomorrow, if he…”

“If you win tomorrow and you get swept up in a romcom-like flurry of emotion and jump in his arms and kiss him, we’ll all understand,” Phasma finished for her.

Shaking her head vehemently, Rey said, “That’s not going to happen.”

“You winning, or you running into his arms to kiss him?”

Rey hesitated. “Erm — both?”

Phasma finished off the last of her mead and stood from the table. Rey watched her, trying to figure out what was happening. Had she somehow offended her? 

“You’re a formidable opponent, Rey. Don’t forget that.”

With that, Phasma turned and went upstairs, leaving Rey at the table with her mead, her thoughts, and the buzzing cell phone in her hand.

——

Phasma’s words rang in Rey’s head the whole time she walked to the tent, and as she geared up with her apron, and as she took her mark behind her bench. Each of them got two benches for this challenge, given they had to make a three-tiered centerpiece plus forty-eight petit fours of four varieties in total. It was a massive, monstrous challenge. 

Rey felt like she was in a daze as they called out “on your marks, get set, bake!” for the last time, and though she did her best to follow the schedule Rose had built for her, naturally Rey went astray. She couldn’t stick to that kind of structure. She had to do what had to be done, in whatever order it came to her.

And in the end, that order would either damn her or save her.

The four and a half hours in which they had to bake their cake and pastries were the fastest four and a half hours of Rey’s life. She could hear the crowds outside having fun, waiting for them. The picnic was massive — all the other competitors from the season were invited, plus everyone’s families. Rey had heard Poe singing at one point, a surprise that soothed her ever so slightly as she tempered some chocolate.

That also meant Hux was out there somewhere. He was likely chatting with Mitaka, or maybe Rey’s friends had found him and were interrogating him — that was a terrifying thought — but she couldn’t afford to dwell on the prospect. Rey had to focus back on her baking.

When time was called, she felt exhausted, weary through to her bones. She’d done it. One massive centerpiece cake and forty-eight petit fours — including cake pops that Rey regretted taking on as soon as she’d felt the sweltering heat of the tent. It was near impossible to get them to stay on the sticks, but she’d done it. And now those and all the rest of her baked goods were going to be judged, and then she would have to wait.

She wanted nothing more than a nice glass of water and to nap for almost a full day. But first, judging ensued. Rey got high praise on almost all of her bakes — the only criticism the judges seemed to have were that one set of petit fours needed more of a crumb coat — Rey completely agreed — but otherwise, she’d been lauded for what she’d done. The problem was, they were all given great feedback, which didn’t help settle the anxiety in Rey’s bones. She didn’t know where she stood in the competition.

After judging, they were handed bottles of water and sent out to the picnic to join the rest, crew members carrying their towers of treats behind them.

“Rey… you did it!” Rose nearly shouted across the field.

Rey’s face turned crimson, but she was grateful to have found her friends. Hux was off to the side, conversing with Mitaka just as Rey had predicted. She waved to him, and he subtly waved back; perhaps meeting her friends was too much too soon. Rey would understand completely.

With an exhausted smile, Rey nodded and agreed, “I did.”

Rose, Finn, and Poe all wrapped her up in a big hug, congratulating her before they ever worried about tasting her things. Rey was quiet, sipping at her water and glancing up at Hux from time to time.

“He seems shy,” Rose observed.

Confused, Rey looked over. “How did you know it was him?”

“Easy. His hair.”

Rey nodded. She _had_ mentioned he had red hair, hadn’t she? “I don’t want to pressure him,” Rey said after a beat. “Besides, today’s been so stressful, I’m not sure I have the energy to mediate that.”

Rose smiled innocently. “You wouldn’t have to mediate anything!”

“Yeah right,” Rey scoffed. “You’d interrogate him.”

“Excuse you, _Finn_ would interrogate him.”

“Alright, fine, sorry. You’re right,” Rey said, the faint traces of a laugh now upon her lips.

Rose seemed satisfied with the small smile she’d put on Rey’s face, and they spent the last moments together sipping on water and talking about things other than baking. Rey was all done with baking for a while, especially after the Showstopper challenge.

But then they called for the final bakers to come to the front, because the judges had made their decision. Rey felt sick all over again, but went over towards the camera crew and producers to follow their instructions.

After a few minutes in which the cameras were placed correctly and the bakers were given their marks, it was time to start filming. Rey stood nervously, wringing her hands as she faced the judges, the men towering over her. Ben stood at her right, and Phasma to her left, and this was it. She was either going to leave a winner — a _somebody_ — or she was going to go back to Wolverhampton empty handed.

The pressure left her feeling ill and a bit dizzy. She wanted this _so badly_. But she couldn’t say with confidence that she’d been the stand-out baker in any of the three challenges, so her chances were grim.

But she stood as tall as she could between Ben and Phasma, and she took a deep breath. She’d fought hard to get to this point, and Rey never went down without a fight.

As the hosts faced them, Rey tried to focus. They were speaking. This was important.

“We are so incredibly pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s Bake-Off is…”

Rey could _feel_ the tension. It was rolling off of Ben in waves. It permeated Phasma’s entire body. The steady, unflappable Phasma was even showing her nerves, her weakness. That was _huge_. 

This was it. Now or never.

“Rey!”

Stunned, Rey’s eyes widened and she just stared at the judges, at the hosts, the rest of the world shut out for just a moment. She could hear the shouting of the crowd behind them, all the families that had gathered to see who’d win — her friends in the crowd serving as the closest thing to family she had left — and _they’d just called her name_.

There was a warm hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from where she’d zoned out in shock. Phasma wore the faint beginnings of a smile upon her crimson lips, and he was urging her forward to collect her prize: flowers and a beautiful engraved glass cake stand. There were hugs all around, and Rey could vaguely sense some disappointment from Ben, but it didn’t matter, because she’d won.

She’d set out to win and that’s exactly what she’d done.

The whole thing was a whirlwind — the hosts hugging her, the judges congratulating her with proud smiles on their faces. Rey was stunned and hadn’t said a word. She wasn’t sure there were any words in existence to describe what she was feeling.

She’d done it. 

On any other season of the show, they would have let the family of winner bound over to give hugs and congratulations, but Rey didn’t have anybody for that. Instead, Rose, Finn, and Poe rushed towards her and wrapped her up into a group hug, one with more voracity than any of the hugs they’d ever given her on the train platform.

Predictably, there were cameras all over, trying to capture every tear, every smile, every hug. Rey barely noticed them now, except when they blocked her line of sight. She was quickly pulled off for an interview, and only then did she realize that she’d been rooted to the spot, and that she was crying. “How do you feel?” asked a producer.

Rey felt the cameras on her, and the pressure to answer in a coherent way. Could she even speak?

“I’m…”

She struggled to find the words. It was hard to describe the way she was feeling, the emotions running through her. Her heart was racing a mile a minute but her brain felt like it had stopped completely, unable to compute such a feeling.

“I can’t believe it,” she spoke. She sounded dazed, a little distant. Rey shook her head. “My cake pops were a _mess_. My centerpiece almost fell over!” She looked directly at the producer. “Is this really happening?”

Smiling, the producer nodded. “It is. How does it feel to have won?”

“It feels… I don’t know,” Rey confessed. “I still can’t believe it. I’d dreamed of this moment for weeks but now that it’s here, I… I don’t know how to process it.”

“Do you feel like a _somebody_ now?” the producer wondered, hearkening back to what she’d said during her casting interview. 

Rey laughed and pressed her palm to her cheek, soaking up the tears there and wiping them away. “Winning isn’t what makes you a _somebody_ ,” she answered. “I felt like somebody the moment I stepped in the tent. Everyone… they were so nice. They didn’t know anything about me, but they still cared. There was no pity. It was real friendship. It _is_ real friendship.” Rey looked over her shoulder at the crowd, where everyone who’d participated in the tent was gathering around, many eager to speak to her again.

When she looked back at the camera, Rey let out a shaky breath. “It feels great to have won,” she confessed. “But I think I would have felt like just as much of a _somebody_ had Ben or Phasma won. They were really great today.”

“Yes, but _you_ won,” the producer insisted. “You earned it.”

Rey smiled. “I can’t believe it but yes… I’m the winner. I won the _Great British Bake-Off_.” She sounded stunned even as the words left her mouth.

“So, what’s next?”

For a moment, Rey didn’t know what on earth to say to that. She hadn’t thought that far ahead — she never did, really — but she hadn’t considered just what she’d do if she won. Presumably, there’d be a book deal, or someone in the industry would reach out and pluck her from obscurity, but she hadn’t seriously considered a single bit of it. Winning hadn’t seemed like much of a possibility to her.

She looked around, hoping for some source of inspiration, some idea of what to say. Nothing came to mind though, because she still hadn’t properly registered it all.

But she _did_ know one thing, and it was that Hux’s green eyes were looking right at her, none of that cold, competitive expression on his face. No, he was looking at her pure and simple admiration. It made Rey’s heart twist in her chest, gave her the unrelenting urge to run right to him, to celebrate with him, audience be damned.

So Rey handed her flowers and cake stand to the producer, and turned to walk away from the cameras. She took a few steady, slow steps, but in all her eagerness, she couldn’t maintain that pace. She had to run. She _wanted_ to run.

And Hux seemed to understand that there was nothing he could do about the fact that Rey was about to launch herself at him without reservation. He didn’t move — he just stood, ready and waiting.

She leapt at the perfect moment, arms wrapping around his shoulders, face buried against his neck. Though Rey still felt speechless and unable to really formulate words, it was okay. They worked better when they didn’t speak in emotional moments like this. Touch was enough. Being together was enough.

“You did it,” he whispered into her hair before pressing a clandestine kiss to her forehead.

All over again, tears sprung to Rey’s eyes, because he was right: she _had_ done it. Even when she’d come in last in the technical challenges for more weeks than she placed anywhere _but_ last. Even when her signature bake was burnt or her showstopper had nearly toppled over, she’d pushed on, and she’d gotten to this point.

And somewhere along the line Hux had burrowed his way into her life, into her _heart_ , and that wasn’t something Rey was going to let disappear when this was all over.

Because it _was_ over, but she couldn’t picture this win, her celebration, her weekends from this point on… not without him.

“Rey,” Hux whispered, setting her gently down on the ground.

He was usually so strong and regimented, calculated in his movements, but around Rey he became soft around the edges. It was as though whatever had formed between them was fragile and could break at any moment. She looked up at him, eyes sparkling as she beamed with pride and tears, the full weight and excitement of her win finally settling upon her.

“Yes?” she asked. She felt giddy and a little dizzy; she held onto him to keep from falling over. 

“Congratulations,” he said, smiling at her more brightly, more earnestly than he’d ever smiled for her before and it was _everything._

——

The flurry of winning went on for what felt like hours. By the time everyone was boarding the train out of Berkshire, Rey was ready for a nap.

Hux had warned her that the journey to London wasn’t a very long one, but Rey didn’t mind a few cat naps along the way. He seemed perfectly content to indulge her, as well, offering his shoulder as a pillow and busying himself with a book as Rey slept atop him.

Rey hadn’t even planned it, but as it turned out, napping on the journey back to London with Hux also meant that nobody else could barrage her with questions and congratulations on the train, either. Several tried, but merely kept walking when they saw Rey was asleep. Hux always smugly smiled as soon as the people had walked far enough away that they wouldn’t see. 

After waking her to transfer at Reading — this was usually the part where they parted ways — Hux led her on the path he’d memorized by this point, from the train they rode together to the one that would take them to Paddington Station. He lived near to it, and Rey had only once mentioned the little Paddington bear that Hux so often heard people talk about whenever he’d mention where he lived.

At least from Rey, it was endearing. Everyone else just irritated him.

But even that train ride was short — forty minutes compared to the two hour journey Rey usually took from Reading to Wolverhampton — and she barely got any nap in at all before Hux was waking her again, telling her it was time to gather their things, because they were in London.

It was late, and the whole world was dark as they stepped into the fresh air outside the station. Rey couldn’t see stars overhead, and that was really her only complaint about the city. Everything else was fascinating and beautiful: the big red double-decker buses, the crowds of people on the sidewalk even still, past ten in the evening on a Sunday. 

“You live here?” she asked in awe.

Hux nodded. “Yes. Near here, at least. We’ll take a cab to my flat tonight, though. I think I can speak for both of us when I say I’m much too tired to walk, especially with all our luggage.”

Rey smiled at him, her eyes still a bit weary with sleep, and she nodded her agreement. At the sidewalk, it took no time at all for Hux to hail them a cab and ask the driver to bring them the short journey to his flat. It looked like any other modern building thrust between historic ones — a little gaudy and clinical — but as soon as they stepped inside, Rey felt more at home.

Though the outside was all stark white and grey, inside there was warmth. The floors were a warm golden wood color, and Hux had color splashed all over the place. Something about that fact was unexpected, but Rey liked it. The warmth of the colors made Rey feel cozy and at home in the space, even though she’d just stepped inside.

“It’s not much,” Hux said from behind her. “But it does the job.”

Rey turned to look at him, her eyes big and wide. “It’s beautiful.”

Perhaps, were she in a clearer state of mind, Rey would have compared this place to her own — it was probably twice as big, and much less cluttered for starters — but she was tired and content and full of joy, and feeling bad about herself was the very last thing on her list today. 

Hux stepped forward to stand at Rey’s side, allowing one of his arms to rest gently around her waist. “Sleep? We can explore all you want the next seven days, but this weekend feels like it’s been the longest of my life,” he said. 

She raised an eyebrow. “The longest of _your_ life? You didn’t even compete!”

“Yes, but I wanted you to win,” he argued. “It was very strange, not knowing where you stood in the competition on Saturday night.”

As he led Rey to his bedroom, she called after him, “But I _told_ you! I sent you those texts!”

“Yes, but you’ve always been your own worst critic,” he argued back, turning to speak over his shoulder at her. “There have been so many weekends where you’re completely down on yourself for how you did, but I think you did spectacularly. I had to take everything you texted me with a pinch of salt.”

“The expression is ‘grain’ of salt,” Rey said. “A pinch is too much.”

“I meant what I said.”

He turned to face her, amused. Rey looked scandalized for a moment, and smacked him playfully in the bicep, before choosing to end the conversation there and instead look around the place. 

The bedroom wasn’t as colorful as the rest of his apartment, but that was alright. This space seemed to suit him more — charcoal and grey bed sheets, a lamp, clock, and phone charger on the bedside table, a television at the foot of the bed — but nothing gave it any personality. 

It was only a space to sleep, though. Lack of personality didn’t have to mean anything. Besides, the bed was large, and looked very warm, and it was exactly what Rey had needed.

“I’m just going to sleep in this,” she said, already careening towards the bed.

“Take your shoes off, at least,” he said critically, bending over to untie his own.

Rey had already launched herself onto the mattress, so she angled herself once she’d heard his words, toeing off her shoes as her feet dangled over the edge of the bed. Then she righted herself, settling in against the plush down duvet and the mountains of throw pillows. As her eyes drifted closed and she reveled in the comfort of his bed, Rey had the offhanded thought that it wouldn’t be so bad if she never left this bed. She felt every stress and worry and emotion immediately leaving her body the moment she settled into the cushiony soft mattress.

She was pulled back to the present when she felt Hux’s weight on the bed next to her. He had also kicked off his shoes and settled himself on the bed atop the blankets, just like Rey. Her hair was a mess — she’d abandoned her three buns just a few moments after they’d settled in on the bus because they made it quite difficult to comfortably snuggle up to Hux — it splayed out all over the pillows and there were still a few spots where she’d gotten flour in her hair and it never fully came out in the frenzy of the day.

“You did it.”

Rey smiled, exhausted but proud. She’d set out to do something — at Rose’s insistence, but still — and she’d succeeded. Nodding lazily, Rey echoed, “I did it.”

Hux rolled onto his side to face her. Rey sensed that he had a lot he wanted to say, but it was very likely that he wouldn’t say a single word of it. Words weren’t always easy for him, or for them in general, and it was impossible to know for sure if they’d ever get past that.

All Rey knew was that she was there, in London, with Hux. They were together, and everyone who mattered to them already knew about them, and they could be free to do whatever they wanted. Be what they wanted.

Instead of speaking, Hux leaned forward and pressed the gentlest ghost of a kiss against Rey’s lips. It was sweet and chaste, and about all Rey could handle that night. Hux coaxed the blanket out from underneath himself first, and then Rey, and covered them up with it. Rey smiled contentedly, burrowing into the bed and making herself right at home.

They didn’t say a word; in moments, Rey was curled up against Hux’s side, fast asleep.

——

**London, part 1**

Rey’s energy in the morning had fully returned, and she was ready to hit the town. They’d already discussed everything they wanted to do or see, and Rey was eager to get started. They spent the entirety of Monday doing all the tourist-type things that Rey had been so excited for. Most of the day was spent in line for attractions — primarily the London Eye and Madame Tussaud’s — but they’d also managed to sneak in a visit to 221b Baker Street and of course, Westminster Abbey.

Tuesday and Wednesday were filled in much the same way: plenty of visits to tourist stops like the Natural History Museum (at Rey’s request), the Victoria and Albert Museum (at Hux’s request), and the Museum of London (which they’d agreed upon together). 

Rey’s face ached from laughing and smiling so much, overjoyed that she was getting to see all the sights she barely remembered from her youth. Better yet was the fact that she was getting to see it all with Hux. He indulged her when she wanted to hold his hand all the time — on the sidewalks as they walked, in the bus seat on the double-decker red bus (second level, of course), and even as they rushed to catch the tube.

He’d meant the visit to be an effort in proving to Rey that London wasn’t nearly as exciting as she imagined it to be in her head, but even he had to admit that he was having a good time.

Rey bought the silly trinkets, lamenting the fact that the ones with names on them never had the names she was looking for. She made sure she’d picked out gifts for all of her friends, and spent a lot of time swearing up and down to Hux all the time that he didn’t need to buy her things. She wasn’t wealthy in the way that Hux was, but she’d done alright for herself since her teen years. Plus, she’d been saving up for the trip. But he insisted on it, so Rey had managed to end up with a few souvenirs of her own.

The trade-off was that Hux insisted on buying their meals. “It’s faster, if just one of us does it,” he’d argued.

Rey conceded, but only because she had stealthy, sneaky ways of getting him back. Namely, she liked to buy them spontaneous teas or coffees or snacks as they wandered the various streets of London. Her favorite was the box of macarons she’d bought them in a shop near Piccadilly Circus.

They spent Thursday visiting a few royal sights, like Buckingham Palace and Kew Gardens. It was much more relaxed than the days previous, and Rey enjoyed that. They were able to take their time, go for a walk in a nearby park, and chat more about themselves.

When Rey woke on Friday morning, she took her time; they’d been all over the city for the first three days and she felt exhausted. Their day was curiously wide open. Unsure of what the day would entail, Rey stretched and yawned, reveling in the warmth of his bed once more.

He was already up, of course, as he was most mornings during the week. How he managed to do that, Rey didn’t understand; anytime she didn’t have to open the cafe, she would sleep in ridiculously late and regret it around midnight when she couldn’t sleep and had to open the next day. Hux had the luxury of a “normal” schedule, though, and somehow he’d also been able to take off work without blinking. Rey had to basically sell her soul to the old women of the cafe and promise to open for a solid six days in a row in return for a full week off.

But she wasn’t going to think about that. She was going to focus on this lazy, beautiful morning in, and the fact that Hux was wandering in the room from the bathroom, trousers on, shirt tucked in but half-unbuttoned, his hair still disheveled from the shower.

“Good morning,” Rey said groggily as he walked directly to his closet.

Her words startled him a bit, and he turned around. “You’re awake.”

He fiddled with the button on one of his sleeves as he decided to forego whatever it was he’d gone to the closet for. Instead, Hux walked towards the bed, looking at Rey with a happiness she’d hadn’t seen in his gaze when they’d first met. She wasn’t so bold as to say it was entirely because of her — she didn’t know what he was like at home, away from the tent and the competition — but she did know that she was part of it, and that made her chest swell with pride.

“I am,” she smiled. She stayed under the blankets, her hair a half-matted mess against the pillows. “What are we doing today?”

Hux’s expression became more proud and turned a little smug. “I was hoping you’d ask. I have something special planned.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “You do?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “You said the other day, at Buckingham Palace, that you remembered visiting that place with your parents and begging them to take you to the ballet.”

“I wanted to be a dancer,” Rey explained. “That was before I knew how clumsy I could be.”

Hux chuckled. “Well…” he stood, the buttons on his sleeves now fully fastened, and walked to his desk. He returned a moment later with an envelope and held it out to Rey. “I thought you might like this.”

Rey’s heart started beating harder and faster in her chest. He hadn’t, had he? Slowly, she took the envelope from him, sitting up in bed and crossing her legs beneath the blankets. Inside the pristine white fold of the envelope sat two tickets to the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House. 

She was speechless.

“I thought we could go, if you wanted,” Hux explained. “We haven’t been over to Covent Garden yet, and I bet you’d like it. There are a few restaurants we could choose from, before the performance, and…”

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Of course you do,” Hux insisted. “You brought your whole bag of stuff.”

Rey looked up, worry etched across her brow. “I didn’t bring anything this nice.”

“We don’t have to go,” he said. “It was just a thought.”

“No, Hux, that’s not what I’m saying,” Rey said, trying to backtrack on her poorly worded statement from earlier. “I want to go. I’ve wanted to go see the ballet since I was a child. But — I didn’t bring anything nice enough to wear to a place like this. I don’t own anything that nice.”

Hux nodded. “I see.”

Rey looked back at the envelope wistfully. She wanted to go so badly. But her silly cotton floral dress would stand out like a sore thumb at the ballet, she was sure of it. Especially one like this, where celebrities would sometimes go. And Hux surely got them seats where they’d be expected to dress well. Rey suddenly felt very, very aware of her station in life, and the status of her bank account.

“Will you let me help you?”

Rey looked up sharply. “What?”

Hux stayed calm, and he seemed to be treading more carefully than usual. “Will you let me buy you a dress for tonight?”

Everything in Rey told her to say no. She was good at being stubborn, and always insisted on being fully independent, but mostly to save herself from other peoples’ pity. She didn’t want it, and she didn’t need it. Sure, she wasn’t handed the best lot in life, but she made due with what she had.

But Hux wasn’t giving her pity. He wanted to treat her, to take care of her. Rey’s pride could surely step aside for one day to allow him this, right?

It was a big gesture for him to do — buying the tickets, offering to also buy her the dress — and Rey understood what it meant for their relationship in vague terms. They were growing serious with each other, and this was a part of that.

“Okay,” Rey agreed, nodding. Her eyes lingered on the tickets for a moment before she dragged them upwards to meet Hux’s. “Where should we go?”

He gave her a small smile and said, “I know just the place.”

Hux used that opportunity to take Rey to Harrod’s, a store she’d heard all about just by virtue of being from England. However, she knew it was more luxury than she could afford, so she hadn’t even considered visiting. But a peek around their sweets and coffee section told Rey that she’d gravely overlooked this store, and she ended up getting a nice bag of coffee beans to share with her friends upon her return to Wolverhampton.

And then they went to the first floor where someone was already waiting for them, ready with a small rack of dresses for Rey to try on. As she looked around the floor of the store, Rey’s eyes stumbled from one designer name to another. This wasn’t going to be a cheap shopping trip.

“Hey.”

Rey looked over at the sound of Hux’s voice. He could sense her unease. “We don’t have to do this. The choice is entirely yours.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to just… go to Primark or something?”

Hux looked amused. “We could,” he agreed. “But… do you really want to do that?”

Rey looked around, and then looked down at the floral dress she was wearing, one of only two dresses she owned. She _really_ wanted to go to the ballet, and to feel like a princess for one night.

“Let me spoil you, just tonight,” Hux nearly begged. “You’ve earned this. You’re the winner of the _Great British Bake-Off_ , remember? This is only the first of many nicer things you’ll get now that you’ve won. Imagine what you’ll have to let someone buy you to wear if you ever get to bake for the Queen like Nadiya did.”

It was a silly argument, and Hux seemed to know it by the way his eyes danced with amusement, but it seemed to do the trick. Rey looked just frightened enough to let go of her worries over the cost of the item.

“Alright, I’ll do it. I won’t look at the price tag,” Rey agreed. She paused. “But if I do, you have to go somewhere else and wait for me there. I don’t want you to see the dress until tonight.”

“That’s fair,” Hux agreed. He pulled out his wallet and handed a card to the woman who was there to help Rey. “Whatever she needs for tonight’s outfit, put it on that card.”

“We said _one dress_!” Rey exclaimed, laughing at how swiftly Hux had tried to change their deal.

“You can’t wear Doc Martens with whatever you buy here,” he stated as though it were fact.

Rey crossed her arms and looked playfully indignant. “I _could_ , I just probably _shouldn’t_.”

“Go on, try on some dresses,” Hux said, gesturing to Rey to let the argument drop.

She smiled, and before she followed the saleswoman to the dressing rooms, she approached Hux and stood in front of him. Rey looked up into his eyes, drifting her fingers gently against his hand. “Thank you for this,” she whispered.

“You’re very welcome,” he replied.

Rey stood on her tip toes and he leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “Go, have fun,” he encouraged. “I’ll be on level three, at the cafe. Text me when you’re all done.”

As Rey tried on dresses, she found it easy to lose herself in the moment. It was fun, pretending to have money, to have the luxury of splurging on a dress at the last moment. Celia, the woman helping her, was wonderful at her job — finding Rey’s best features (her hips, bum, and legs apparently) — and then changing which dresses she tried on to suit and highlight those features.

“You’ll want to find some nice pumps, as well,” said Celia expertly, watching as Rey stood and spun in a particularly gorgeous dress. It hugged her curves in all the right ways.

“And, depending on your plans for the evening… I could call over to our lingerie department and have them bring down just the thing to go with this dress,” Celia suggested.

Rey didn’t really have a read on the situation, or what on earth would happen after the ballet, so she hesitated just a bit. “I suppose… I could take a look?”

She wouldn’t say lingerie was really her style — not that she’d ever owned any — but it couldn’t hurt to look, right? “Do you know of any shoes that would go well with this? I’m not sure if I could walk in them, but…”

Celia’s whole face lit up. “I know just the thing. Hold tight.”

She left their private dressing area for a moment to make a few phone calls, and as she did, Rey pulled her phone out of the pocket of her rain jacket. Her hair was a bit of a mess from all the trying-on, and she stood stocking-footed in the dressing room, but the dress she wore made her feel… beautiful. Lucky. Like someone who was a lot more than some small-town shop girl.

Rey knew that was silly, of course. Hux liked her for the messy, haphazard, tomboyish girl that she was. _That’s_ who he’d fallen for. Would she even look like herself, when all was said and done?

She’d brought mascara along… perhaps she’d put on some of that, too. Just for him.

Hesitating just barely, Rey lifted her cell phone to face the trio of mirrors she stood in front of, letting those mirrors show off all her best angles as she ducked her head and tried to take a photo of herself. 

Not for Hux, of course. The entire outfit was going to be a surprise to him, of that she was sure. But she wanted to know what her friends would think. Would they approve? Would they tell her to stop, to come back down to earth and wear her floral dress because she ought to be proud of what she could buy for herself? That she didn’t need Hux to buy her things?

Rey needed to know if she was being silly. If she’d gotten too caught up.

She tapped out a message telling them what she was doing, and sent it along with a photo of her in the dress she was sure would make Hux’s jaw drop. And as she waited for Celia to return, Rey also waited for her friends to respond.

 **Rose:** You look amazing! Is he really going to buy you that? He’s so nice!

 **Finn:** Lucky girl. Be safe tonight ;)

 **Poe:** holy shit since when are u sexy????

Rey blushed furiously and bit her lip. She tapped out her reply: _So, it’s okay that I’m letting him buy me an outfit for tonight?_

 **Rose:** YES just make sure you keep it if you guys ever break up.

 **Poe:** hell yea! 

**Finn:** ^ what she said

 **Poe:** reys gettin laid tonight!

Rey laughed, feeling much better about the situation already. She looked up in the mirror and twisted to one side, getting a good look at herself in the mirror. Did she really have a nice bum, and nice legs? They looked incredibly average to her, but apparently to her friends and to Celia, they were above average and quite spectacular, especially in this dress.

She wondered if Hux had noticed yet. If he hadn’t, he definitely would that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi at armltagehux.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion to Rey's trip to London with Hux, and a glimpse at where things go from the end of their vacation together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to each and every one of you for reading and especially to those who have taken the time to comment! I appreciate all your kind words and will be responding to comments very soon. I was more focused on getting this last chapter out for you all to enjoy.
> 
> Know that there is a sequel in the works. I can't promise when it will be posted, but just know that I'm not finished with their story yet. Consider this the conclusion to the Bake-Off portion of their lives. 
> 
> In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this final chapter, and any re-reads you may do in the future. Thank you again for all of your support.
> 
>  
> 
> _Rebecca, thanks for being an absolutely wonderful beta. It's been so great working with you!_
> 
>  
> 
> Notes:  
> \- Rey's dress is [here](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/daisy-ridley-16-b5c7275e-a7b7-4a76-ab21-0154a05b34b0.jpg?w=1200).  
> \- Art of the two of them post-ballet are [here](http://armltagehux.tumblr.com/post/180525350801/shierak-inavva-is-a-gift-to-this-fandom-after), including a Tumblr reblog link and artist credit! (NSFW)

**London, part 2**

Rey was grateful to all the women at Harrod’s who ended up sending her out of the shop with far more bags than she’d intended. Hux seemed completely unfazed by this, and in fact, was surprised when she didn’t leave with _more_. He had his own bag, but Rey thought nothing of it. While waiting for her — over an hour, as it turned out — he naturally would have ended up buying something for himself, as well.

Though she’d entered the shop with trepidation and worry, Rey was leaving with more confidence than she’d ever had before. She knew that it was silly, worrying about how she’d look for a date, but there was something exhilarating about knowing that no matter how she dressed, she’d surprise Hux. He’d only ever seen her in her day to day clothes, the stuff she chose to wore to the tent or packed with her for the trip to London. Usually, it was sneakers or boots, and it was very often her overalls, her one pair of yoga pants she’d splurged on just before starting _Bake-Off_ , or any random pair of torn jeans. 

This was different. This was bags full of new things that Rey had never worn, but sometimes dreamed about owning. And now she did, and it was for their date.

Their first proper date.

Though they’d known each other for over two months now, and spent at least half of that in an odd “are we dating?” limbo, they’d reached a conclusion by the end of that time and they were a couple. They knew it. But they’d never gone on a date. Weekends in the tent and in the manor were the only dates they ever got, and most of they time they were too stressed to really enjoy it.

Rey wondered if Hux did this all on purpose, knowing they hadn’t had a proper date yet. Her heart fluttered at the prospect that he’d been that thoughtful. Given the lengths he was going to make it a night to remember, he probably had it all planned from the start.

She was quite glad she’d chosen to look past his glare and his silence to see what lay beneath. Hux was an expected surprise in Rey’s life since meeting him. He was realistic, factual, and down-to-earth. She loved her friends, but they often had their head in the clouds or took care not to hurt her feelings. Though Rey didn’t expect Hux to hurt her, she did know that if he needed to deliver tough love, he wouldn’t hesitate. Her friends might.

In all, he was an added element to her life that she didn’t want to lose, and she was beginning to feel like she occupied the same pocket of Hux’s life, as well.

They stopped for a short lunch at Pret a Manger on their way back to Hux’s flat, and Rey couldn’t wipe the smile from her face the whole time. Though he never said it out loud, she could tell that Hux was pleased with the day’s events, as well. He looked happy. He didn’t smile the way she did, but his eyes gave him away… the green in them was more lively, and his brow was smooth and unfurrowed. 

“Thank you,” she said softly, as he gathered their things when they’d finished eating.

“It was just lunch.”

“I mean for this,” she said, picking up her bags from Harrod’s. “For this trip. For everything.”

Hux let himself smile. “For being more than a warm bed and a guide map?”

Rey laughed. Of course he’d hearken back to that conversation they’d had weeks ago. She nodded. “Yes, for that,” she agreed, amusement in her voice.

The corners of his mouth stayed tucked upwards just slightly as he said, “Well, you’re very welcome for that. It’s nice having things to do and places to go.”

“So I’m an excuse to get out of the house?”

Hux barked in laughter. “I —”

Rey’s eyes danced with happiness as she looked up at him, and she was very happy to see that he seemed to feel the very same way she did. “It’s alright if I am,” Rey said warmly.

“You’re much more than that,” Hux said.

He opened his mouth to say more, but the words were lost the moment one of the staff interrupted them, offering to take their trash for them. With the conversation effectively over, Rey and Hux left the shop and emerged out onto the sidewalks. 

As they walked back to Hux’s flat, he said, “I was thinking we could go back and relax. I had a shower this morning, but if you wanted one, we have time. Then we can get ready… we’ll want to have dinner, probably. I know a place… do you like Italian?”

“Of course,” Rey smiled. “Be warned, I may make a mess, though.”

“As long as you didn’t get a light colored dress, we’re probably fine,” Hux countered.

Rey laughed. “I’m not telling you _anything_.”

Hux feigned disappointment. “So… Italian?”

“Yes,” Rey smiled. “Italian sounds wonderful.”

Nodding, Hux said, “Excellent. Well. I’ll schedule us a cab to take us there, then. And make a reservation. We’ll want to get there around six, so we’ll want the cab to get us at… oh, half past five? Maybe a bit earlier.”

“That gives us three hours to get ready,” Rey calculated. “I can do that.”

“Can you? How many things did you get, today?”

Rey giggled and shook her head. “Nice try. But like I said before, you won’t get any information out of me. It’s going to be a surprise.”

“It was worth a try.”

Hux put on a kettle of water so they could make tea, and Rey lounged on the sofa for close to a half hour, insisting to Poe over and over again that whether or not she was sleeping with Hux that night was none of his business. She also told Finn to stop telling her to be careful, or she’d be reckless in retaliation.

The group chat died down at half past three, after Rey had finished her cup of tea and Hux had sent out a few work emails — he’d neglected his work duties all week thus far, as one should while on a vacation — but he had some urgent ones that he had to answer. Rey didn’t mind. It gave them both a chance to enjoy each other’s presence and a well-made cup of tea (Rey could admit when she’d been beaten in that department).

Hux closed his Macbook and set aside his empty mug. “I’m going to get my things, and then the master bedroom and bathroom are all yours,” he said, standing from the sofa.

Rey’s heart began to beat faster in her chest; this was it. She was going to spend _two hours_ being as stereotypically feminine as she’d ever been in her life, primping and preening to get ready for their date. And though it was never something she’d entertained the thought of doing, she was really looking forward to it. Celia and several other women at Harrod’s had given her all the tools and advice she’d need to complete her look.

She showered, she dressed slowly, standing in her underclothes as she blow-dryed her hair (if she’d dressed first, she would have sweat all over everything, which she _hated_ about herself). Already, she looked different in the mirror than usual. She was noticing her curves more, and her hair, though not too terribly long to begin with, fell nicely over her shoulders. 

Right as the clock struck five, Rey pulled the zipper up to the top of the dress and turned to examine her reflection in the mirror. She still couldn’t believe that the woman in the reflection was really her.

Out in Hux’s bedroom, she slid her feet into the shoes she’d gotten, and smoothed out the front of the dress one last time. Playfully, she wandered to the door and knocked on it. 

After a brief pause, she heard Hux ask, “Yes?”

“Are you ready?” she asked excitedly.

She knew she was being silly and ridiculous and probably building up the anticipation a little too much, but she also… really wanted him to be impressed. It was very likely he would be no matter what, but Rey had put a lot of time and effort into not only choosing a dress, but getting all dolled up for a night at the ballet.

Not to mention this was their first date. Their first real, official date. 

“Very ready,” he replied.

Slowly, Rey pulled the door open and stepped out onto the hardwood floor of his flat. As she did, her heels clicked on the floor, and she waited with bated breath for his reaction.

She stood before him, trying not to fidget or bite her lip too much — but it was hard because Hux was looking at her with a gaze he’d never fixed upon her before. It was almost… hungry. Fitting, given they’d met at a baking competition, but still an odd feeling. 

Her dress was just the right amount of showy — a black top with a floral design giving way to a velvet bottom with beautiful golden orange accents. The sash on the dress was the same color, and it hugged her every curve perfectly. Rey felt beautiful in the dress, and though her hair was in a simple half-ponytail and she wore only mascara and a rather sheer lipstick, she felt more glamorous than she ever had before.

And given the way that Hux looked at her, from her head to the toes she’d covered with shiny black pumps only about an inch too tall for her to really walk confidently in, he liked what she’d chosen. He _really_ liked it.

She watched him curiously as he stood from the sofa and walked towards her, eyes raking brazenly down her body. 

He too looked good, Rey observed as she did the same to him. His shirt hugged his body a little more than the other button-downs he’d worn around her. This one was a deep blue — fitting, as it matched the little flowers in her dress. With it he wore a form-fitting blazer and his usual black slacks.

Without trying, they’d matched.

“You’re beautiful.”

Rey felt her cheeks get hotter, and she shook her head, fighting a smile. She didn’t know what to say to that. 

Nervously, she brought her hand upwards, her fingers drifting over the lapel of his jacket. “You look good, too,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.

He stood right in front of her, daring to rest one of his hands on her waist. Rey felt so silly for being so affected by him all of a sudden. She swallowed past a lump in her throat and looked up into his eyes, unsure of what came next. 

“You’re taller,” he observed with amusement.

Rey laughed. “Yes, by two inches.”

She shifted all of her weight onto one foot, lifting a leg out to the side to show him how tall her pumps were. When she did, she wobbled just a little, and Hux had to reach out to catch her. “Careful,” he warned.

Again, Rey laughed. “I’m going to fall tonight, I can almost guarantee it.”

“No you won’t,” Hux replied. “I’ll catch you.”

Rey smiled warmly. “You do that a lot.”

“You were the one who confessed to being clumsy,” he argued.

He helped her steady herself on her feet while they both tried desperately not to laugh. “Before we go, I have something for you.”

Rey’s expression turned to surprise. “What?”

“Don’t do that,” Hux scolded. “I can get you gifts.”

“What is it?” she challenged.

He walked to the countertop where the small Harrod’s bag from earlier sat. Rey had assumed it would be something for himself, not for her. If it was from Harrod’s, it was likely expensive. Rey was very, very nervous about that.

“I’m allowed to get you something nice,” he said stubbornly. “You’re the new winner of _The Great British Bake-Off_. Consider this your prize.”

“But I got that cake stand —”

“ — And now you’re getting a gift from your boyfriend.”

His words stopped her in her tracks. Before he took the item out of the bag, Hux’s eyes met Rey’s and he looked at her with a questioning glance, as though he were asking her one last time, without words, whether this was alright. Rey nodded.

Hux pulled a small box from the bag and brought it over to Rey. “To go with your dress,” he said by way of explanation as he offered it to her.

The box was wide and flat — not the right shape for a ring, thank goodness — but other than that, Rey couldn’t figure out what it was. The velvet was buttery soft beneath her touch as she slowly opened it to see what it was that Hux had bought her. 

Inside, two gold hoops sparkled beautifully in the light. Earrings — sensible and golden and — 

“Before you worry, they’re only gold plated,” Hux said. “I know what would be too much.”

Rey laughed. “We crossed the _too much_ line after this dress,” she joked. “Hux, they’re —”

“Will you wear them tonight?”

She drifted her fingers over the smooth metal of one of the hoops. Speechless again, she nodded. Hux took the box for her and helped her free the hoops from the velour insert they’d been resting upon. Very gently, Rey coaxed the earrings through the half-closed holes in her earlobes. She very rarely wore jewelry, especially things like this. But they went perfectly with her dress, and he’d asked her so earnestly. Rey couldn’t imagine why she’d ever say no to wearing a gift from Hux.

“How do they look?” Rey asked, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ears. 

“You look beautiful,” he responded, snaking an arm around her waist.

Rey hugged him warmly, holding tight in a way she hoped would convey her gratitude for everything he’d done for her, not just that day, but all week. This trip to London had already been more than she could have ever hoped for.

Seconds later his phone beeped, telling him that their taxi had arrived. “Time to go,” he said, offering her his arm.

Rey beamed and gently put her arm through his. He was patient with her as she got used to walking in heels. Admittedly, she caught on faster than she’d thought she would. By the time they’d arrived at the restaurant, Rey moved like she’d been wearing heels for years.

Dinner, as she expected, was top notch. Hux had high standards when it came to food (and Rey couldn’t blame him for that). She managed to only drip marinara once, and it thankfully fell on the napkin she’d rested across her lap.

She didn’t start feeling giddy until they were leaving the restaurant. That meant it was time for the ballet — another one of her childhood desires come to fruition. Rey stared in wonder as they waited to get into the venue, and Hux very kindly let Rey take her time looking at all the beautiful posters, signs, and other relics from years of ballets past. Her eyes were wide and filled with wonderment, and she was almost reluctant to be dragged into the theatre itself.

Just as Rey expected, Hux had gone all out on the tickets. They sat in the center orchestra section on the main floor, about halfway back so they’d have a wonderful view without having to crane their necks. Rey was so close she’d be able to see the strings on the dresses, the scratches and wear at the sole of the pointe shoes. 

The entire performance felt like a dream, and she didn’t want to wake up.

Rey held Hux’s hand, watching with unwavering attention. Her gaze never left the stage as the ballerinas and ballerinos swirled and spun and leapt to the sounds of a live orchestra. Rey had worried the experience wouldn’t live up to what she’d imagined in her head, all those years as a child, and then a wistful teen and young adult.

But it was so much better than she could have ever hoped for.

She clapped and applauded, and stood and clapped and beamed as the ballet company received a standing ovation at the end of their performance. Rey was completely enraptured with the evening. It would have been stupid for her to let her pride get in the way of this, she realized as she wobbled in her too-expensive pumps, holding Hux’s hand as he led her out of the aisle of seats and back into the lobby of the Royal Opera House.

“Did you like it?” he asked when they reached the doors.

He’d hailed a taxi on his phone again, and while they waited, they stayed indoors. As always happened in London, the rain had returned. 

“I loved it,” Rey said breathlessly.

She slid her arm through his again, standing close to him for warmth. When their eyes met, Hux looked pleased with her answer. “I’m glad.”

For the first time that evening, Rey leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you for tonight. It’s all been so perfect.”

“Of course,” Hux replied. “A first date to remember?”

Rey smiled warmly, happy to hear that he’d realized that, too. “Yes. It definitely is.”

Their cab arrived a moment later, and though it was a futile gesture, Hux held his hand over Rey’s head as she ducked down to rush through the rain. She didn’t slip or trip in her heels as she’d worried she might, and was thankfully only mildly damp as they settled into their seat.

Rey’s dress was sleeveless, and the chill from the rain nudged her closer to Hux’s side, for warmth. He draped an arm around her, and Rey felt warm again almost instantly. It was difficult for her to think about the fact that her vacation in London would end the next day; she was taking a late train back to Wolverhampton on Saturday evening. That meant she only had about twenty-four more hours to enjoy Hux’s company before… she didn’t even know what would come next, truthfully.

Whether Hux was thinking the same thing or not, Rey didn’t know. Their cab ride passed in companionable silence, Rey only breaking that silence once, with a yawn. In response, Hux had brushed his thumb over her upper arm where he held her, soothing her. 

Before much longer, they arrived back at Hux’s flat, and they rushed through the rain once more before entering the building and taking the elevator up to his floor. They were still so quiet — Rey knew that was just how they were, and what they did, but something about it was different. She didn’t want it to be quiet.

She didn’t want the night to be over.

“Hux —”

“Rey.”

The door clicked shut behind them as they walked into his flat, and she turned around as he switched on the main light to the room. Everything was still neat and tidy, just as they’d left it, with Rey’s haphazard pile of gifts, trinkets, and souvenirs taking up most of the small dining table at the back of the space. She quite liked seeing the mark she made on his place — and that he hadn’t made her clean it up.

“I know it’s probably a little reckless, and we’ve only known each other a few months, and sure, I’m a few years younger than you, but —”

She hesitated, noticing the way Hux’s eyebrow raised as he watched and listened. He stepped closer to her, slowly, taking his time as Rey struggled to say what she wanted to say.

“And it’s not because of the dress, or the gifts, or anything else, I just —”

They stood toe to toe, Rey’s gaze drifting upwards to meet Hux’s as his warm hand reached out to cup her face. He still looked curious, but behind that Rey could see amusement.

“I really want —”

When Hux leaned forward, the words were lost on her tongue. She couldn’t utter another sound because she could feel Hux’s breath on her lips, and all the warmth radiating from his body where he stood so close to her, and _God_ she knew what she wanted, and it was _him_ , and he was _right there_. 

He hesitated for just long enough that Rey could have backed out if she’d wanted. But she didn’t want that. Weeks of tension and argument and hesitation and learning each other had led to this moment: Hux leaning forward as Rey stood before him, stammering through her words because words were useless between them sometimes, and… _oh_.

The moment Hux’s mouth pressed to hers, Rey completely gave up on trying to vocalize everything running through her mind. He was there, and he wanted her, and she’d never felt more treasured than she had that day — that entire week. She’d won _Bake-Off_ , sure, but she’d gotten a lot more out of those grueling ten weeks than just a title.

When Hux leaned away, looking down at Rey with smug amusement on his face, she bit her lip and laughed nervously. 

“Yeah — that. I want that.”

It had taken her a few moments, but she finally was able to vocalize what it was she’d wanted, and he seemed happy to give. 

“That can be arranged,” he replied playfully.

Rey smiled. Gently, she reached up with one hand and draped an arm around his shoulders to steady herself. “Can I take these shoes off, first?” she asked.

Hux looked amused. “Of course. I’d like to point out, by the way, that you didn’t fall in them once,” he said as she held onto him so she could haphazardly kick the shoes off to the side.

“I held onto you the whole night,” Rey laughed. 

Once the shoes were kicked off to the side, she stood on her tiptoes to steal another kiss.

Rather than speaking or making any kinds of jokes, Hux slowed the moment down. He kissed her deeper — like that first night they’d made out in her room while at the manor after a stressful day of baking — but this time there was nothing happening the next day. They could stay up as late as they wanted, do whatever they wanted… nobody could tell them no.

Rey kissed him until she was breathless, and when she pulled away, she gasped for air, desperate to feel his lips against hers again. But instead of granting her what she wanted, Hux leaned away, his eyes darting to something over her shoulder for just a moment.

The tension in the air was thick — desire radiated from both of them in a way that made Rey wonder how in the world this hadn’t happened any of the other nights they’d spent in the same room, the same _bed_ with each other. 

She nodded, understanding what he’d been glancing at. Together, they walked to the bedroom, hands clasped between them. Hux switched off the lights with his free hand as they went, until they were in the dim light of his bedside lamp, the door shut behind them, the bed still unmade from when they’d gotten up that morning.

Rey took a deep breath and turned to face Hux. She chewed on her lower lip, wondering whether she should say something (probably not — she’d just ramble again if she did) or maybe undress (she could, but she’d rather he helped her with that). So instead of doing any of that, Rey waited for a signal from Hux.

He crossed the room to her with a determination she usually only saw from him in the tent. She reached out for him, holding the sides of his face in her hands as their lips met — more frantically, this time. Heated and desperate because they were alone, and they’d had their first date, and they trusted each other and wanted each other, and…

Rey sighed into the kiss as she felt completely surrounded by Hux — his hands on her body, his mouth against hers, each and every feeling more overwhelming than she’d ever experienced before. He held her delicately — not as though were about to break, but in a way that let her know she was in good hands. She’d be taken care of.

She fumbled pitifully with the knot on his tie (she’d never understood them) until he chuckled against her mouth and leaned away to work at the knot himself and take off the tie entirely. He looked at her oddly, but Rey laughed it off and tugged at the front of his shirt to pull him into another kiss.

It was easier for her to try to undress him now that the tie was out of the way. He helped her push the blazer down his arms — it was quite form fitting, after all — and left her to her own devices as she began to toy with the buttons on his shirt. A few moments of fumbling led Rey to break the kiss, giving the buttons her full attention.

“Never done this before?” he asked.

“What, sex? Or unbuttoning a shirt while kissing someone?” Rey glanced up at him, and then back down at his shirt as she made progress unfastening the buttons.

“Both, I suppose.”

“Yes, and no.”

She hoped he’d understand what she meant with those answers in quick succession. Rey had done this before, though not in quite an intimate setting. She’d been talked into a night of partying by her friends, and she’d given it the old college try, one night stand and all. But this was different. This was attraction, emotions, intimacy… and she couldn’t handle those and a button down shirt while distracted by his kisses.

Unlike when they’d filmed episodes for _Bake-Off_ , Hux wasn’t wearing an undershirt — had he planned for this just as much as she had?

Rey stood on her tiptoes to initiate the kiss again, but Hux didn’t indulge; instead, he left the kiss short and chaste, keeping the upper hand. Whatever he was doing, Rey hadn’t anticipated it, but as soon as she opened her mouth to ask, he’d pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. Rey stared at him for the briefest of moments before allowing Hux to press at her shoulders gently, guiding her to turn around.

_Oh._

His fingers were lithe and nimble, so it didn’t surprise Rey in the least when he managed to untie her sash and unzip her dress in a matter of moments. The air was cool against her hot skin, and she knew that now, Hux would see exactly what she’d bought that day — every single bit of it.

She’d hesitated, at first, when the saleswomen mentioned it, but then they’d brought out some sensible pieces that weren’t exorbitantly expensive, and Rey had fallen prey to their persuasion. Beneath the dress, growing easier to see with each passing moment as the dress began to slip from her body, Rey wore simple lace lingerie — a navy blue bra with matching panties.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was Rey’s dress hitting the floor with a soft swoosh! She didn’t turn around, and she tried not to shiver, because she wanted Hux to get a very good look. Rey closed her eyes, feeling his gaze heavy upon her, and smiled a little when she heard the sound of his belt buckle clicking as he unfastened it. 

After a second or two of shuffling, Rey felt him behind her, warm and steady. He pressed his front to her back, and she could feel against her lower back that he was quite pleased with what she’d bought for herself. 

He drifted a hand over the waistband of her panties, from her hip to her stomach. His other hand drifted higher, never touching her, but dancing just close enough that she felt goosebumps pebbling across her flesh, her body desperate for more heat. He turned her head towards his, guiding her to kiss him again. Hux leaned over her shoulder to bring their lips together, and Rey stopped thinking completely.

The kiss was less coordinated — the angle was a little odd, especially given their height difference — but Hux was able to improvise well enough. He drifted his lips across her jawline and towards her neck, catching her earlobe with a kiss before he found her pulse point and kissed with just the slightest bit of suction.

Rey’s whole body trembled at the touch; she’d never felt _that_ before. His kisses sent shocks of pleasure in waves throughout her body, warmth pooling between her legs in a way nobody had ever done to her before. Her breaths were shallow, her chest heaving with them, as Hux’s mouth kept pressing soft and then heavy kisses against her neck. He was unpredictable, and everything he did made Rey unravel a little more.

He drifted his other hand down between her legs, finally dipping his fingers down beneath the lacy fabric of her panties. Rey gasped at the feeling, hands clinging to him wherever she could find purchase. Her cheeks reddened at the realization that he was probably able to feel just how he was affecting her, how hot and wet she already was, right where his fingers were drifting with teasing touches.

The hand that wasn’t in her panties had been drifting through her hair, and one smooth finger darted over her swollen, parted lips. Lost in the moment, Rey flitted her tongue against the pad of his finger, coaxing him to do more. With as much focus as she could muster, Rey swirled her tongue at the tip of his finger and then sucked teasingly, a promise of what she could try to do later.

When he just barely dipped a finger inside of her, Rey keened and bent over, hardly able to stand on her own anymore. She felt silly, being so affected by him, the finger she’d been sucking on now tugging at her lip, but really — this was what she’d wanted. To be completely and entirely overwhelmed. To feel his touch. To be _his_.

Hux supported her with strong hands, no longer teasing her. He understood, though she hadn’t said a word, that it was probably time to take this to the bed. She could hardly stand on her own two feet.

Rey was forever grateful for the way they communicated — that they could say so much without actually saying a word. His hands never left her as they moved towards the bed, Rey smiling, albeit with some embarrassment.

She sat at the edge of the bed and looked up at Hux, unable to find words or actions that seemed fitting. 

He knelt at the foot of the bed, between her legs, and looked up at her. His hands were warm where he rested them upon her thighs, and looked up at her with no expectations. That in itself put a smile back on her face.

Gently, Rey brushed a strand of hair out of Hux’s face and leaned forward for a kiss. It was sweet and a little playful, until it wasn’t. It didn’t take long for Hux’s mouth to find the sensitive spot on Rey’s neck again, only this time he didn’t linger there. He kept kissing lower and lower, drifting his mouth across her collarbone, his breath ghosting over the thin lace fabric of her bra. Rey leaned back to allow him to reach every inch of skin that he wanted, her breathing growing more labored the further down he went.

Shyly, Rey spread her legs and watched as he kissed over the fabric of her panties. She’d never been quite so vulnerable and open with someone before, letting him see the effect he had on her, how wet she’d gotten for him.

Though she desperately wanted to leave them on because she felt so beautiful in them, Rey wanted nothing more in that moment than for Hux to rip them off of her and _really_ touch her. Her breath grew ragged as she tried so hard to control herself, to have patience, to enjoy his torturously slow ministrations.

A soft keening sound left her mouth as soon as she felt Hux’s fingertips dip beneath the hemline of her panties, slowly sliding them down her body. She didn’t feel embarrassed at all, now almost completely naked in front of him. All she could focus on was that his breath was warm against her thigh, and she was buzzing with desire, desperate for his touch. 

His mouth on her was like an explosion, her head thrown back as she saw stars, her body already trembling as his tongue lapped at her wetness, tasting her for the first time. One of her hands flew to his hair, guiding him where it felt the best, Hux happily complying as he gripped her thighs and tugged her body closer towards him.

Rey’s mouth dropped open as he drew a moan out of her, his tongue dipping inside her just barely. Her grip on his hair tightened and she trembled, pitifully close to climax already. Chest rising and falling with each breath, Rey fell back against the blankets, resting one foot on the edge of the bed, giving Hux even better access.

“H—” she panted, trying desperately to formulate words. “I—”

His lips closed around her clit, all his energy fueled on by the fact that Rey couldn’t even vocalize a single thought or feeling. She moaned again, back arching ever so slightly — just enough to push her harder against his mouth. Hux hooked an arm around her thigh, pressing her hips down to the bed and raising up higher on his knees. He redoubled his efforts, the sucking and slurping sounds echoing obscenely throughout the room. 

Gently, Hux eased a finger inside of Rey, drawing another moan from her. She began panting, unable to stave off the feeling anymore. Head thrown back on the pillows, Rey let go, her whole body trembling as she came, Hux’s ministrations pushing her through her climax. 

After what was probably the longest orgasm of Rey’s life, she slowly began to squirm away from Hux. “Ah ah ah,” she said between exhausted laughs.

He leaned away and looked up at her, still knelt by the side of the bed. “Everything alright?”

Rey chuckled, scooting up the bed towards the pillows. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Very. I’m just — sensitive.”

Hux looked rather smug with himself as he stood up and climbed onto the bed next to Rey. Her eyes lingered on his briefs and at the very obvious way they were tented at the front. He’d liked that, too.

When she looked back up at Hux, Rey realized that she’d been caught staring. She bit her lip and tried to look innocent, but Hux was unwavering in his gaze as he looked at her, one eyebrow quirked.

Rey couldn’t help it. She laughed.

Hux snorted, trying very hard not to laugh, but failing. 

Things were comfortable, even with both of them nearly naked on the bed. That put Rey at ease and made her feel more confident both in their relationship, and how the rest of the night would go. As her laughter dissipated, she let Hux lean in to kiss her again. Rey closed her eyes and smiled against his lips, reveling in the warmth of his body against hers and this new feeling of _her_ on his lips. It ignited something within her — something vaguely possessive, or maybe territorial — whatever it was, it renewed the fire within her, and Rey slowly let her hand drift over the front of his briefs, letting him know that she was ready for whatever he wanted to happen next.

Hux took his time kissing Rey before he broke the kiss to focus on removing the last piece of clothing he wore. That left Rey as the only one wearing clothing, and she only wore her lacy navy blue bra. “Should I —” she asked, hands drifting over the lace.

“Only if you want to,” Hux responded.

Rey glanced down, fingers drifting over the lace covering her body. She loved the feeling of the fabric against her skin, but in the end, decided she’d much rather be just as naked as Hux, fully trusting of him, fully exposed before him as he’d done for her. She sat up and unfastened the clasp behind her back, gently letting it fall down her front before tossing it to the side.

She couldn’t blame Hux one bit for staring; in fact, part of her _wanted_ him to stare. 

There was a hunger in his gaze as he leaned forward, resting one hand on Rey’s hip as he kissed her. The kiss was more frantic than the last ones had been, and Rey happily gave in to it, bringing her hands up to frame his face as she laid back against the pillows, bringing him with her. 

They stumbled just slightly, Hux trying to move between Rey’s legs and keep his balance while kissing her. Rey heard a muffled curse word fall between their mouths, and she couldn’t hold back a giggle as they settled together on the bed, right where he’d wanted to be. When their eyes met, Rey knew she must have looked silly, a big smile on her face but her arms drawn in close to her chest, cupping his face. She wasn’t trying to cover up or look shy, it was just how she’d ended up. 

Hux kissed her softly in response, slowing things down as he lowered his body to hers on the bed. Rey gasped when she felt his erection against her stomach; she still couldn’t believe she’d had such an effect on him.

Rey smiled into his kisses, savoring each and every one as they let themselves fall back into the moment. It felt so good, not having a single care in the world, nowhere they had to be, nothing they had to do.

It was in that moment that Rey heard the pitter-patter of rain against the windows of the flat; the rain they’d encountered on their way home from the ballet had increased in intensity since then. Something about it was cozy and made the moment even better. 

Before long, Rey grew impatient and rocked her hips against Hux, providing the tiniest bit of friction for him. “Hux…” she whispered against his mouth.

He seemed to catch the hint, because he nodded and leaned back on his knees just enough to reach into the drawer of his bedside table. Rey blushed; he’d been prepared. She liked to think it was for her specifically, and not just out of habit. They hadn’t talked much about their past, and that was a conversation for another day.

Rey was quiet and tried not to stare too much as Hux tore open the condom wrapper and rolled it on. She bit her lip, and when their eyes met again, both took a deep breath. Gently, Rey brought her hands to frame Hux’s face again, looking into his eyes, suddenly feeling bashful. She wanted this. She _did_. But this was also a big step for them.

Hux seemed to understand, because he took things slow, from lining himself up, to gently pushing inside of her, to beginning to move his hips. Rey gasped at the stretch, and she couldn’t put into words how grateful she was that Hux had slowed everything down. It wasn’t painful, just… a stretch. More than she’d felt in a long time. But it was good. As soon as he began to rock his hips, pulling out of her and then pushing back in, Rey’s discomfort quickly gave way to pleasure.

Rey slowly began to relax, losing herself to the moment, to every single place their bodies touched. It was electric, Hux’s hands on her, touching her, buried deep inside of her, and — the moment his mouth found her pulse point again, lazily grazing his teeth over the most sensitive place he could find on her neck, a loud moan tumbled from Rey’s lips. 

Realizing that Hux lived in a flat and his neighbors might have heard, she brought a hand to cover her mouth. Almost immediately, Hux gently coaxed her hand away. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “Let them hear.”

“I —” she began to protest, but then he rolled his hips, pushing deeper inside of her, and whatever she’d been about to say was lost between them.

“Okay?” he pressed. 

Rey smiled and nodded eyes closing with pleasure as he kept moving inside of her, distracting her from whatever needless worries were still floating through her mind. He watched as she brought a hand to her breast, thumbing over her nipple. Rey gasped when Hux batted her hand away, wanting to touch for himself.

She felt dizzy with it all, the way he was touching her, the way he felt inside her… Rey hadn’t felt anything so blissful in a very long time. Though she had worried what the neighbors would think, Rey quickly began to forget about them as she lost herself to the moment, to the feeling of being completely engulfed by everything Hux was doing. 

Part of her wanted to do more, but she didn’t know what. She was still new to all of this, and Hux didn’t seem to have any complaints. But Rey got just lost enough in her head that Hux slowed what he was doing and leaned back to look into her eyes.

Rey blinked a few times before realizing he’d stopped. “Everything alright?”

The fact that he’d noticed, that he’d asked, elated Rey and made her feel even more secure. He cared for her — he cared more than anyone would probably realize after seeing him on the telly, or just meeting him once or twice.

“Yeah,” she nodded breathlessly. “I — can we —”

Hux tipped his head to the side, waiting as Rey found words.

“Sit,” she said finally, patting the bed next to her.

Eyebrow raised in confusion, Hux did exactly that, shifting the pillows so they were leaning up against the headboard. Emboldened by his trust in her, Rey sat up and slowly moved to straddle his lap, watching to be sure he understood, and he was okay with this.

Given that he was holding her hips and ready to guide her atop him, it seemed that he was. Rey reached down between her legs to line them up, and slowly she sank down onto his lap. A soft, low moan escaped her mouth, and as it did, Hux pressed kisses all along her neck, not daring to leave a mark, but tiptoeing dangerously close to doing so anyway, as his teeth grazed a sensitive spot.

Rey shivered at the feeling, and took a few moments to adjust to this new angle, at just how impossibly deep he was inside of her. 

Hux rested an arm around her waist, holding onto her, helping her steady herself as she slowly began to find a pace she could handle. Rey combed a hand through his hair as he continued to kiss at her neck and collarbone. His free hand drifted playfully over her breast, smugly savoring the way she’d shiver and whimper in response. 

She felt dizzy and unsteady, but for a million wonderful reasons — his arms holding her so protectively, and all the new sensations he’d ignited within her. Rey desperately wanted to show him just how much this meant to her, how happy he made her, but all she could think to do was kiss him, deep and romantic. Hux kissed her back with matched intensity, bringing his hand from her breast to her hair. He threaded his fingers through her hair and held her close, kissing her with an energy she hadn’t expected from him.

In moments, she felt a heat coiling in her belly that she couldn’t stave off for long; it made her legs shake, her breathing grow shallower, her head start to spin. “H— _Hux_ ,” she breathed, trailing off to a mewl.

Rey leaned her forehead to his, smiling a little as she noticed the way his hair hung in his eyes again, sticking to the sweat beading on his forehead. “Mhmm,” he hummed against her lips before stealing a kiss.

He brought both hands to her hips, helping to keep her steady, keep her going as she reached her climax. Rey’s toes curled and it felt like her whole body shook with the intensity of it until she couldn’t bounce on his lap anymore, it was too much. She sank down onto him as the wave crashed over her, her head spinning as she came, clenching impossibly tight around Hux and bringing him to the very same peak. 

He buried his face against her neck and shoulder, breathing heavily as a moan fell from his lips; it was the most beautiful sound Rey had ever heard — low and melodic, perfectly controlled like everything else about Hux. He held onto her with a protective, strong grip, arms sliding around her waist as she clung to him around his shoulders and tried to catch her breath.

Rey’s eyes drifted closed, already growing sleepy after the day they’d had, and of course the night’s activities, but she didn’t fall asleep. She was close, though, and knew that if she didn’t lift herself from Hux’s lap soon, she may never have the strength or energy to do it. 

She stayed draped over him for a few more minutes, until he tapped at her hip to coax her into moving. Rey was reluctant, but obliged, settling herself onto the mattress next to him. As she did, Hux leaned over, kissing her again. 

They didn’t speak; Rey wasn’t sure what either of them would say if they did. What just happened… she didn’t have words for it. It was different. Meaningful. _Romantic_. It left her heart beating frantically in her chest and a welcome, wonderful slight ache between her legs. It had been too long, but she’d loved every moment of it. It meant everything that it was with him.

Hux rose from the bed first, disappearing into the bathroom to get rid of the condom and wash himself up. Rey half-expected him to get dressed when he returned to the room, but he didn’t. He just went directly to the bed and started shuffling the blankets around, making them look vaguely as they would had the bed been made.

Rey took her turn in the bathroom and returned to find Hux just climbing into bed after fixing the blankets. He’d chosen to stay undressed, so Rey would, too. There was something thrilling about that, sleeping naked together. They’d wake up the next morning, the magic of their date night worn off, nothing but the new intimacy they’d forged left to remind them of it all.

As soon as she climbed under the blankets, she rolled to face Hux, a smile on her face.

“Hi.”

Rey’s smile grew. “Hi.”

He pushed a stray hair out of her face, just as she’d done so many times for him that night. “I had a good time tonight,” he said. 

He stated it so factually, and Rey knew that indicated Hux really, truly meant it. Her heart swelled with happiness.

“I did, too,” she replied. “This whole week, even. It’s all been a dream.”

“Yes well, don’t think about what comes next,” Hux said. He talked about everything so factually — when she’d arrive, when she’d leave — that it was odd to hear him wanting to avoid those conversations, his denial that she’d have to leave the next day. “It’s still date night.”

Rey smiled, trying not to get wistful or sad that their time together was drawing to a close.

She yawned, effectively ruining the moment, and they were both glad for it. Serious conversations could wait until the next day. 

Hux rolled onto his back to switch off the lamp on his bedside table. As he did, Rey rolled onto her other side. She smiled as she felt Hux settle in behind her, his breath warm on her shoulder and his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. The room was a picture of serenity, complete with the rain pattering gently on the windows.

Rey was asleep within seconds.

—— 

They took their time waking up the next morning; Rey wasn’t sure if she was the first awake, so she stayed still in bed, smiling sleepily at the sound of Hux’s soft snores. Sometime in the night she’d rolled over, choosing to use his chest as a pillow, rather than an actual pillow. He held her protectively, even in his sleep, and Rey had never felt so safe.

When the snores stopped, Rey assumed he’d also awakened. Rather than speaking, just in case, she chose to turn her head and press a small kiss to his chest. He released a shaky breath and Rey smiled. He was awake.

His fingers traced little circles on her shoulder blade, and Rey savored the moment, well aware they may not have a moment like it again for a while. 

But before long, bodily functions were necessary, and Rey slowly climbed out of bed to use the restroom. Hux took a turn after her, and when he returned, he found Rey back in bed, sitting underneath the sheet, leaning against the headboard. Her upper body was covered with none other than the wrinkled navy blue button-down he’d tossed on the floor the night before.

Hux pulled on his briefs and eyed her mischievous smile. Though Rey wasn’t sure what came next, she did know that she liked being playful around him. 

“Come,” he said, holding out a hand to her. “Let’s have some tea.”

Rey smiled, climbing out of bed to take his hand and follow him to the kitchen. She sat on a barstool at the counter while he made them tea and a small breakfast of porridge and berries. The whole gesture of making her breakfast put a smile on Rey’s face, though that smile faded when she realized it was half past twelve and she only had four more hours with him, including their travel time to the train station.

It was a painful realization. Somehow, their week had come and gone in the blink of an eye.

After porridge, they showered and dressed, and Hux helped Rey pack her things in a far more economical way than she would have. He managed to fit far more into her suitcase than she’d thought possible, and was grateful for his help. 

Hux put on more tea and they sat together in his living room, his arm around her shoulders as they avoided the serious conversation they needed to have. They were going to try a long-distance relationship, they’d decided. What more needed to be said, honestly?

In the back of her mind, Rey knew there was probably more to it, but they could always address problems as they came up — right?

She only shed a few tears as they gathered their things and got into the cab Hux had hailed for them, to get them to Paddington station. He’d be seeing her off at the train station, as he always did, but this time felt different — happy and sad, all at the same time. Rey was a flurry of emotions, and given how stoic Hux had become since they got in the cab, he must be, too.

At the platform, Rey did her best to put on a brave face. She knew there were tears welling in her eyes, and she knew that she’d gotten the most wonderful, meaningful vacation of her life so there was really nothing to be sad about. But still… she was. A lot of uncertainty lay ahead.

But then Hux kissed her, and he smiled at her as the conductor called out for boarding. “Text me when you get in,” he said.

Rey nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak; if she did, she would very likely start crying.

“Go on,” Hux said, nodding to the train. His voice was so soft, it was nearly a whisper.

There were so many things Rey wanted to say all of a sudden, but it was too late. She had to board the train, or she’d miss it.

She could miss it, right?

Wrong. She’d lose her job if she did. She had to be an adult about this — she had to be responsible and go back home and work her cafe job and try to return to normalcy after what had been a very long and grueling ten weeks to win her the Bake-Off title. To win her Hux.

“See you soon, Rey.”

She nodded, blinking in quick succession to stop any tears that were coming. They were a couple. They were strong. Surely they could withstand some time halfway across England from each other, right?

They stood at the secure gates, Hux unable to go any further. “Have a good trip,” he said finally, pressing one last kiss to her forehead before coaxing her through.

Rey had a feeling that they were holding the train for her, and that she should get a move on or they’d give up and leave without her. One of the conductors approached her to offer help loading her luggage, and it was clear she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer.

Hux held up a hand, waving to Rey as she followed the conductor to the train. She boarded, her heart heavy, but full of hope at the same time. They’d had such a wonderful week together. It had been like she’d been living in a dream. 

And they’d managed a long-distance relationship in the weeks they’d been together during the competition — surely things wouldn’t be much different now. Though they wouldn’t have every weekend together at a beautiful manor in Berkshire, they had FaceTime and they had Skype, and they had phone calls and text messages. That could get them through, right?

When Rey got settled into her seat, she pulled her phone from her pocket, already slipping earbuds into her ears. As she unlocked her iPhone, she saw a text message on the screen.

**Safe journey.**

She smiled, unable to stop the tears welling in her eyes. Quickly, she tapped out a reply.

_Missing you already._

Though the weeks and months ahead sounded daunting, and like a lot of work, Rey couldn’t wait. She’d found something special in the tent at _Bake-Off_ , and she had a strong feeling this was only the beginning.

It seemed very likely that this was just the start of one massive, wild adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you <3

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at armltagehux !


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